Things we cannot foresee
by Kate02344
Summary: The sequel of 'Game over'. The setting is six years later. Part 1: The assembly. Part 2: The reason. Part 3: The preparations and the operation. Part 4: The outcome. A story about the being of deviltry (Akashi), of self-torture (Midorima), of ignorance (Aomine, Kise, Kagami, Momoi), of derangement (Murasakibara, Nijimura) and a cheater (Kuroko).
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1: The assembly.**

 **Chapter 1** : **1st**

As his tongue skillfully played with the woman's, she moaned in an esctasy of pleasure. She held his head tightly while her body was trembling. As expected, she wanted more. However, he just wanted to end the nightmare quickly. It was such a disgusting feeling to make out with an older woman, a much older woman. As they finally parted, she looked at him with desire, and he averted his eyes as seeing her face caused a nausea to come to him.

" Shall we continue?"

She sweetly asked as her hand caressed his broad chest. But he grabbed her hand which clearly did not imply consent.

" My apologies, but five minutes have passed."

He said as he lit his cigarette. The woman seemed slightly discontent, but she sighed and paid him anyway.

" Here you go."

She said to him as she took out some money from her purse and gave it to him in which he smiled charmingly at her.

" Thank you, madam. May I see you again, perhaps?"

The words were elegant and somewhat cultured. But the person who said that was unhappy and was grimacing lightly. Then again, he concealed it well, so the woman was clueless.

" Tomorrow, then. Are you fine with that?"

" Yes, madam."

The conversation ended fast, seeing how he said all the lines he remembered by heart hurriedly and managed to get rid of his customer. After which, he stood alone in the small, dark lane and counted the money. On the other hand, though, no money could afford one's body. He knew that, but he did a similar thing anyway.

A while later, when he was sure that the woman had gone away far enough, he ran to the nearest trash can in the lane and...spitted out. He did that until he could forget the revulsion. But nobody could forget that. As he coughed out, he held the money tightly to remind himself the reason he did this. An awful feeling filled his stomach. Was it disgust? Or was it remorse? It was late at night. And everyone must have slept soundly in bed. But he had not, and nobody told him to.

It was not a few long minutes later that he decided to go home. Well, who was he kidding? He had no home, just a small, rented flat that he stayed alone in. And of course, one could never be satisfied living in a poor condition and feel great about it.

He put his hands into his pockets and stared at the sky, a blank, empty sky, like that of the void in his heart.

" The sky at night doesn't look too bad, does it?"

All of the sudden, an unfamiliar voice resonated in the cold, midnight air. He was slightly startled and looked steadily at where the sound came from which was within the darkness of the lane that he could not see.

" Who's there?"

He took out his lighter almost immediately and brightened the small area around him. As the stranger stepped closer, he managed to see a part of his face.

"Sorry dude, but my service is reserved for only women."

But the soundlessness made him realise this was not a customer. Therefore, he pointed his lighter at the stranger and exclaimed:

" I don't know who the hell you are, but the people around here know this is strictly my territory."

There was no reply.

" Hey, hey. You hear me, I don't want to make things messy, pal."

" So? Are you threatening me with a fricking lighter?"

The other person calmly questioned his empty threat which made him feel rather ashamed at how cracked he was. But he did not yield.

" I was being frigging nice, so it's fine by me if you want some fists."

The coward used a guttural sound to hide his real mellow voice, hoping the other man would be frightened and go away. But the said man was not at least intimidated.

" I'm sure scared to be punched by one girlish-faced man like you, so yeah, let's cut to the chase, OK?"

The man who was yet to stepped out of the darker area unbuttoned his coat and threw it on the ground, leaving only a T-shirt on his upper body. He stared at him and realised that he was a lot more well-built than he seemed with the cumbersome coat on. The stranger walked closer to him with an unknown intention which sent chill all over his body.

" Damn, damn, damn, he's really gonna beat the hell out of me, isn't he?"

He thought and instinctively stepped backwards, seeing a potential danger approaching him. Suddenly, somebody from behind grabbed ahold of his hands and in a split second, dislocated his left arm.

" Ahhh!"

He screamed in pain and that person for some reason released him. He strode away from the two unidentified people with his right hand held the injured arm firmly. He ran and ran until he saw the dim light radiated from the closest light pole, meaning a way out of the lane. But his hope sank as he saw the same tall person earlier blocking the exit. And he knew the remaining shorter man was chasing after him. However, he was shocked to see the person he was expecting standing right next to him. Another piercing scream escaped his mouth as he spotted the blank eyes of the unacquainted person. The mentioned man rubbed his ears and muttered:

" Hey, before saying anything, could you please stop yelling or shrieking or whatever? It's midnight. Don't you agree...?"

He halted and turned to his partner.

" I'm sorry, but what was his name again?"

And he received a terrible scowl and a relatively annoyed voice:

" Could you at least try to remember just one single person's name? It would be difficult to have a conversation where you don't know one's name."

" It was your fault for wasting time taking off your coat?"

" Oh I'm sorry because I can't stand the heat, but I wouldn't let someone flee once I managed to dislocate their arm."

" Well, he was in pain. You know I dislike making others hurt, but no, we've got to do things the hard way."

" The more efficient way, you mean?"

A quarrel was soon started. He was confused by the two people but since they clearly gave him an escape route, why should he not? When they were still too busy, he turned around and crept away. But it was not long until he was found out.

" Where are you going?"

The taller one grasped the collar of his shirt from behind and questioned. He was so scared he did not even dare to turn around.

" We're not trying to hurt you. As long as you go with us, we won't use force."

" Yeah right?"

He sarcastically blurted out. In his mind, he knew these two were one of those muggers who would not have a single care even if the target were to be a woman or a child, let alone a man like him. Well, it was not his first time.

" The money's in the left pocket. Try not to hit the face, man. It's my livelihood."

" We're being honest. If you follow us, you'll get what you want."

What the tall one said bewildered him so he timidly asked:

" What do you mean?"

The remaining person took out something from his satchel which revealed to be a document. He turned on his torch and read out loud what was written briefly:

" The only son of one of the richest household in Kanto... A celebrity at a young age of 14 until 17. Famous for the handsome, bright appearance and the extraodinary acting skill... The information is quite vague."

He then walked towards him and gazed at the lost look in his eyes:

" Your fans are going to cry if they see how lowly their idol has become, working as a gigolo, Kise Ryouta."

Kise widened his eyes. An anger appeared in his stomach and he gritted his teeth:

" I don't know what you are talking about."

His voice was quivering as he restricted himself not to hit Kuroko. Kuroko just sighed and calmly replied:

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. But think carefully about how deep you have fallen, Kise-kun. And think about who has ruined your whole life."

He stopped and looked at Midorima.

" Midorima-kun, you can let him go now."

The green-haired male released Kise and mumbled something about not calling him like that, not that Kuroko cared.

" Kise-kun..."

He called the blond man and met the frightful look on his face.

" You see! After all that time, you still can't shake the fear off."

Abruptly, Kise clutched Kuroko's neck and glared intensely:

" Look. I don't know who you are and what you're saying. So stop being freaking ridiculous and get the hell out of here."

He then let go and walked away from them. But the stubborn Kuroko ran after him and quickly said:

" Don't you wish to know? The truth?"

Kise stopped and turned to Kuroko.

" To know or to be left in the dark forever? To be free or to be confined? To get revenge or to suffer loss for eternity? What other choices do you have, Kise-kun?"

Kuroko softly asked. But the determination in those blue eyes was strong and immense. Kise just stayed silent, though. He looked down his feet where he could clearly see the dirt and trashes and looked at the sky where he could not reach and only saw the blurry moon and blank sky. He stared at Kuroko's face with a complex expression and walked away.

* * *

After he had left, Midorima walked to Kuroko and murmured:

" Why did you let him go?"

Kuroko just smiled at that. He looked down and above, seeing the same things Kise saw and quietly answered:

" We're not too different, don't you think?"

Midorima was speechless and shook his head slightly. He signaled Kuroko to go along with him. On the way to get the car, Kuroko looked over to Midorima and asked:

" Who's the next one?"

" Why ask?"

" Well... I just hope he or she is easy to be persuaded like Kise-kun."

* * *

Kise returned to his workplace the following day. He stared at the lane for a long time and went away. And he never looked back.

 **End chapter 1.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Two in one.**

The loud music came from the speakers along with the noisy talks made Midorima extremely annoyed. It was understandable since he was the type of person who liked classical music. But there were times he was afraid if he was getting old.

He was just too busy scowling and drinking wine from the shot glass on his hand that he became totally oblivious of the woman moving towards him. She was gorgeous. Her short pixie hairstyle was even more appealing with its dark colour like the night sky and the slightly tight, sleeveless, sparkling, old golden dress that showed her suggestive body's outline. She was not that kind of woman in this bar, though. The confident, even arrogant look in those blue eyes seemed to tell people that she had a rather important position there. Midorima looked up and accidentally made eye contact with her. She gazed at him and suddenly turned to the spot next to him, implying to question if it was taken. He held the glass in his hand and pointed at the said seat while he looked away.

" Thank you."

She said as she understood his approval and sat down gently. As his eyes still peered at the crowd, she secretly observed him with interest, not that he was unaware of it.

" Why the angry face?"

He turned left and looked at her for awhile before giving an answer:

" My partner is not here yet."

" Any chances she stood you up?"

She teased him with a taunting voice which irritated him a little, but he tried not to show it.

" Actually, I'm waiting for a guy."

" Oh my. It never occurs to me that you swing that way."

Midorima's face reddened immediately at that.

" Pardon me?"

" Well, it would be better if you chose the bar across the street. It's a gay bar."

He cursed in his head as he realised she misunderstood the situation.

" He's just simply a fri-"

He halted and rethought. Personally, Kuroko and him argued too much to be called 'friends'.

" Well, he is an acquaintance."

Her sharp eyes were filled with disbelief, though.

"An acquaintance, you say? Your earlier scowl did not support that."

His eyes met hers again as he wanted to clarify for himself. But seeing that she was just a stranger, he kept silent and looked away, seemingly ignored her. She noticed his unfriendliness and got more exciting. Usually, men would chase her, but he was an exception.

" Do you hate the music?"

He muttered a small 'yes' and proceeded to take another sip.

" I hate it too, really. I would prefer Tchaikovsky's music."

Her statement gained his attention right away.

" I suppose you're interested in 'Swan lake'."

" Of course, I do."

The conversation about the composer's works and his emotional life was begun without Midorima perceiving. After that, they changed the topic and discussed about the poor quality of the music nowadays subjectively. To one point of the talk, she became frank:

" What's your name?"

" Midorima Shintarou."

She repeated his name silently in her mouth and replied:

" I'm Kazuna."

"... Um, what's your last name?"

" Why ask?"

"Well, I can't rudely call you with your given name, can I?"

She was surprised at first, but then she chuckled at his sentence.

"I don't see any problem, I can, Shin-chan! See?"

Embarassment was all over his charming face which made her burst out laughing. All of the sudden:

" FIND HIM!"

A shout came from the area near the stairs which was just a few feet from where they were located. Without saying a word to Midorima, she stood up and walked towards the said place. The men instinctively bowed at her as soon as they saw her fragile figure.

" Kazuna-sama."

" What's the ruckus about?"

She crossed her arms and asked with a stern voice. A man who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped out.

"The boss is nowhere to be found..."

" This is not the first time."

He sweated and worriedly responsed:

" That's true, but we cannot seem to contact the boss's phone..."

He stopped and pointed at the man next to him.

" This guy was supposed to be in charge of guarding."

Kazuna glared at the mentioned man.

" You were the only one?"

" N-No, there was another guy, but when I returned after going to the restroom, he was knocked out, and boss was not in the office."

She stayed quiet for a minute and resolved:

"Keep looking, but also keep it down. We have very important customers today. This guy cannot have gone far."

* * *

"You're back."

Midorima said as he felt her presence without looking at her. Not receiving any reply, he continued:

" You seemed to be in trouble."

"What makes you think so?"

He sipped his wine soundlessly.

" Lucky guess..."

Out of the blue, a beep occured. He searched his coat's pocket and took out his phone. He flipped it open and read the text message quietly.

" Are you busy?"

She asked out of curiousty, but his face was motionless. He glanced at the crowd and also at the security men.

" Are you by any chance Takao Kazuna?"

She was astounded slightly because he knew her identity. But she regained her composure quickly when a thought went through her mind.

" Knowing who I am, you must be the boss's client. Yet, I have never heard the boss mentioned you. What are the odds?"

Her voice was an abundance of venom. He stayed still on his chair while she decided to avert and come running to her men. But as she turned her body, she felt a clutch on her arm and was pulled violently. She fell into Midorima who was now on his feet and was the one did the deed. He gazed intensely at her, his hand held her arm and put it over his neck. She was not in a mental state to react to his quick actions. Not even to his unexpected kiss. As her mouth got an immense heat from his kiss, she felt a great pain at her nape and soon, she felt nothing.

Midorima held her with one hand while his other hand took off his coat. He wrapped the sizable coat over her petite body which mainly hided her face and her outfit and went towards the entrance. As he walked out, he made eye contact with one of the bouncers and carried his drunk 'girlfriend' that he had just kissed passionately to his car.

* * *

Peaceful and quiet, Midorima's house used to be like that. But six years ago, when Kuroko came up with the idea of staying with him, the place had become something like that of a circus. He gently laid Kazuna on the sofa and put a thin blanket over the woman. As soon as he sat down and tried to relax, the noise came from the kitchen destroyed his intention. Angrily, he treaded into the room and exclaimed:

" Keep it down, you brats!"

Kuroko turned to look at him in an unsurprised manner as if he was used to seeing him like that.

" And that is the owner of the house, Midorima-kun."

Kuroko told the person sitting in front of him with a monotonous voice.

" Where is Kazuna?"

The said person showed an unhappy face and questioned Midorima. He did not answer her, but instead kept talking with Kuroko.

" She's just woken up, hasn't she?"

Kuroko nodded in agreement.

" She's not pleased with my treatment."

" Did you deal with her heavy-handedly?"

" Well, of course, I did knock her, but I also made her dinner and I guess she doesn't fancy eating hard boiled eggs."

Midorima sighed and pushed his glasses to his eyes' level.

" Nobody likes eating just eggs, Kuroko. Just accept that fact."

The woman stared at the two kidnappers in disbelief and confusion.

" What do you guys want?"

She hit the table and asked frustratingly. Midorima came closer to her and with the nearby wooden spoon, he hit her hands.

" Do not damage my properties, little girl, if you're going to stay here."

She winced in pain and rubbed her hands.

" What do you mean? Don't you want money?"

" Sorry, we don't need money, especially illegal money."

She widened her eyes in shock and cautiously asked:

" What nonsense are you-?"

" It's fine if you play dumb, but everybody inside this room, including you, know your bar's business."

He intended to say more but was stopped by Kuroko.

" Midorima-kun, you go and have a rest. I'll do the talking, OK?"

" Fine, then."

When Midorima was no longer in the kitchen, Kuroko lightly smiled at the pink-haired woman.

" He's a lot friendlier if you spend more times with him."

She did not pay attention to him, though. She looked down the table with concern filled those big, beautiful eyes. He carried on, nonetheless:

" The fact that your bar is a location of exchanging drugs will be kept as a secret, so don't you worry, Momoi-san."

She was startled and looked up immediately. But honesty was the only thing she saw upon the blue irises. And despite knowing that quite well, she did not trust her instinct.

" Are you lying? If you report me, you'll receive a very good amount of mon-"

" Like he said, money is not the purpose we brought you and your cousin here."

"..."

" Revenge; for the sake of the potential victims; your sibling; the truth; a change;... Please feel free to create your own reason or excuse."

" What?"

" You can turn me down if you wish but... Momoi Satsuki-san, as an intelligent girl and the future heir of the Momoi corporation, why are you there, doing a job that indirectly kill people?"

Momoi trembled at his words but she held it in and only expressed the anger and bitterness in her.

" What do you know about my life? You know nothing. While you were living a normal life, Kazuna and I-"

" Got involved in his game, I assume?"

"...!"

Kuroko stood up abruptly from his chair and came to her. He held her hand, squeezed it and had his eyes looked into hers.

"Put all of your negative emotions, frustrations and hardship into here."

He said and opened his two hands and placed them in front of her. She thought it was a kid joke, but seeing the seriousness on his face, she did what was told.

"Isn't it better, now?"

He asked softly with a genuine smile. She just gaped slightly as a strange feeling took place in her heart. The warmth of having somebody truly care for her, she really believed it was no longer exist.

" Wh-Where...?"

Her voice was quivering as she found it difficult to say.

" Where were you?...If only we have met you..."

Kuroko silently watched as a single tear rolled down her face and embraced the weak person. The night was so peaceful and the only sounds were his steady breathing and her light sobs. That was until...

" I'm home."

A certain person greeted loudly when he walked into the room. Straightaway, he froze upon seeing the two hugging figures.

"... Um, don't mind me... Carry on."

He awkwardly said to the couple and automatically stepped out. Kuroko just stared indifferently at the sight and told the blushful girl:

"That is Kise-kun. Don't mind him, he's new. He probably came back after collecting data of the next person."

 **End chapter 2.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Third time lucky.**

The weather was exceptionally nice that day which meant many people went outside. And what better way to enjoy a beautiful Sunday besides a stop at an outdoor café?

Downtown, there was one little, humble café with mediocre beverages. On average, it only served more or less twenty customers daily, pretty trivial. However, ever since the last two weeks, the number had increased drastically and strangely enough, most of them were highschool girls. As soon as schools ended, groups of friends had come up with the ideas of giving the shop a visit.

Sitting under shades of trees, they started chatting nonchalantly and ordering drinks to pass the time as they were awaiting a certain person. As a single sound resonated weakly but melodiously in the air, they quickly averted all their attentions towards the source of it. And there they spotted him.

A very outstanding man who was whistling strolled to the direction where the spiritted girls was. His rough appearance consisted of his tall figure, appealing jawline, biceps, broad chest and especially broad shoulders which the girls fantasised themselves being carried off the ground with. The somewhat wild look of him was easily doubled with his casual outfit which included a plain black T-shirt, blue jeans and additionally, a guitar case on his left hand. In no time, all the girls got out of their seats and stood around him.

"Hey."

He greeted informally and in the girls' eyes, it was just another charm. In unison, they exclaimed a "Good afternoon" in which annoyed him terribly. Seeing the innocently expectant looks, he sighed and understood his deed. Placing the case on the pavement, he slowly took out the instrument and glanced at the female crowd.

" Any suggestion?"

Yes, he was a busker or a street performer. A girl in the front voiced out:

" How about an English song?"

" Fine by me."

He turned his gaze from the said girl to the strings. As a habbit, he picked each string separately in case any of them needed to be tuned. When he had reassured the quality of his guitar's sound, he hummed to check the key. After which, he unhesitatingly decided a song in his mind and strummed the strings once, got right into the verse:

"Girl, you really got me now. You got me so I don't know what I'm doing..."

A powerful start, it seemed. As soon as he dived into the melody, his facial expression changed completely. If he appeared dull and uninterested normally, he would brought the house down with the rock songs and his rather rakish look.

" Girl, you really got me now. You got me so I can't sleep at night..."

At every word 'girl', he would wink at a different girl which was a handful thing to do considering this word repeated at almost all sentences.

At the end of the song, he finished powerfully with a chord which he let it ring loud and clear. The strings vibrated while the applause and cheers took over.

"Can you sing another one?"

The same person who requested the song asked gleefully. But like other times, he shook his head and murmured a small refusal. His young audience always asked for his name or if he could stay a little longer, but they had never received an answer for either of the two questions. He sang passionately and subsequently, he left and all they saw were his unrushed steps and the long, lonely back.

* * *

" Have you found him yet?"

Kuroko was having a drink at the said café and asked the blond man who had just arrived while panting strenuously. Kise was bending his body and holding his knees to relax his stretched muscles when he heard the blue-haired man's voice and looked up.

" He's nowhere to be found."

His answer was not pleased to hear, at least for Kuroko. He furrowed his brows a bit to show dissatisfaction.

" You did gather the data, saying that he always walks past this area, right?"

Kise was definitely anxious about the unhappy look of the other one and hurriedly justified:

" I did and I'm 100% sure about that. He must have left."

" What? Doesn't he perform around here?"

Kise smiled awkwardly at that and scratched his head lightly.

" Well... Actually, he never performs more than one song. He just does one request from the crowd and abruptly leaves after delivering the music piece."

" Kise-kun..."

Kuroko's voice was quite unclear. He sighed heavily and cracked his knuckles. He stared at the clueless Kise and with a rolled fist, he slammed the table where he was sitting.

"If you know he's going to be here for briefly five minutes, then tell me from the beginning and prepare quickly instead of fixating about your damn hair!"

Kise automatically cringed at the threatening voice and the scary glare of one petite and angry Kuroko. Kuroko sighed again because of the restlessness.

" Where else does he frequently go to?"

Kise straightaway took out his notepad and scanned through it. His eyes stopped upon seeing the needed information.

" About 7 o'clock, at the nearest park from here."

Kuroko glanced at his wristwatch. It was only 5 o'clock. And that meant the two of them had to wander around the said park for a long time.

* * *

The park was quite nice. It was not very vast and crowded which was weird on Sunday. But then again, it was getting late, perhaps nearly 8 o'clock. And sunset was already a few hours ago. The location was hidden from view because of the trees and the lack of brightness from the light pole. Turning on his cell phone, he frowned to see the time showed in the top-left corner of the screen.

"7:56."

He was impatient and was about to make a call when he saw a slim figure from afar.

" Finally!"

He whispered to himself and gestured the person to come to him because he really thought that was his target. But as the dim light of the moon shone the face of the man who stepped closer, he realised he mistook someone else.

" Um... Sorry, I thought you were...an acquaintance."

The stranger smiled kindly and seemed to forgive him as it was a mishap. He bowed apologetically and assumed that person would withdraw from his field of vision. Yet, he stood there motionlessly.

" Um... Can I help you?"

" Oh! Am I by any chance bothering you?"

He asked with an empty face which was actually disturbing the taller one the most. The other one just uncomfortably answered:

" N-No, it's just... I'm waiting for a friend."

The man glanced up his face and peered into his flaming eyes.

"...this late?"

" Ye-Yes, you see, my friend is a really odd guy."

" Well, you're odd, as well."

" Excuse me."

" In my opinion, no one would usually demand money from their friend."

"...!"

He widened his eyes in shock as he exhaled strongly. His stomach tightened as a horrendous idea came to his mind. The one standing in front of him must be a...

" Don't worry. I'm no police nor detective."

His voice was soft and convincing but he could not believe this man.

" You must have mistaken me for someone else, because I'm just-"

" A busker, you might say. If somebody accidentally spotted you, they would just think because you're street performer and was wandering around singing. And therefore, they might not consider you as a professional blackmailer. Very clever!"

Kuroko said all of that in a tedious voice as if he had studied them by heart beforehand. And the criminal's nervousness grew as his plan was shattered in matter of seconds. But he was only found out by an individual, so handling this tiny creature was not difficult for him. Violently, he pushed Kuroko down the ground and without hesitation, he pulled out a dagger. Seeing the object of silencing on the ground unguarded, he took a deep breath in because he was going to do something he had done before. Bending down, he grabbed Kuroko's neck and pulled his entire body up with ease. The shiny, extremely menacing blade in his right hand stuck out, he clutched its haft tightly and directed it to his potential victim's throat. Just one move and everything will end.

However, it was not so simple. His right wrist might have a bad bruise if the hand that was forcibly gripping it let go. He gave a sidelong glance and caught sight of a pair of ferocious eyes glaring unforgivingly at him. Before he could he even react, the excruciating pain came from Kise's hand caused him to release the weapon in defeat. As soon as the knife landed on the ground and a metalic sound reverberated, Kise aimed for his head and kicked, strong enough to make him let go of Kuroko and lose his balance dramatically. He almost fell backwards, but managed to be on his two feet.

" Who the hell are you guys?"

Kise laid the barely properly breathing Kuroko on the ground and took off his troublesome jacket.

" The name is Kise Ryouta. Nice to meet you, Kagami Taiga."

He replied intimidatingly while droppping the garment.

" I also have a knife, but seeing yours is here," Kise glanced down his foot which was steeping on the blade and kicked it away." Let's make it fair and fight, bare hand, of course."

Kagami was somewhat perplexed by his bold statement. However, at that moment, a feeling swelled up in him and he could not deny how great that felt.

" Sounds good."

He grinned in excitement and broadened the space between his two feet horizontally. Kise also smirked and tossed his flick knife away. His stance was different from Kagami's, though. He did extend his feet, but he placed his non dominant foot which was the left in front of the other one about half a metre and turned his upper body rightward.

" On the count of three...1..."

The redhead gulped and started to exude sweats just from the waiting. They both glared intensely at one another, trying to figure out the other's weaknesses.

"2."

Kagami rolled his fists and exerted himself, especially his legs. But he was nervous at the way Kise was weirdly relaxed, with his hands seemingly had no applied pressure.

"3!"

Kagami strode towards his opponent and landed a strike aiming for his parotid. It was pretty close but Kise managed to prevent it by quickly hit his hand by the edge of his left hand. In the same brief second, he kicked Kagami's abdomen but the redhead stepped backwards in time and advanced with a side-on kick by his right instep. And this time, his attacking attempt succeeded. The blond man got his cheek hit and fell down, his face touched the ground.

" Ahh!"

He exclaimed in pain and lied helplessly. Kagami did not waste the opportunity and went to get his dagger. Holding it firmly, he grabbed the defeated one's shoulder and turned him upside down. A stab through one's heart or throat always assures death. And he chose the beating heart. He moved the arm that had the weapon backwards to get some speed. Suddenly, Kise opened his golden eyes.

" Now! Kurokocchi!"

Kagami was caught off guard. He instinctively looked behind and saw the said person. A pain, and he was asleep.

* * *

" Kurokocchi, are you sure you're fine?"

" Yes, I am, please, stop your whimper."

As he was told, Kise shut his mouth gracelessly and remained following Kuroko around. They returned home with Kise carrying a huge man, probably his same size.

" We're back!"

Kise merrily greeted out loud and was replied back by an annoying stare of the house's owner.

" I can see, Kise. Mind keeping it down? It's nearly midnight."

Awkwardness flastered on the scolded one's face which made Midorima feel conscious of his harsh words.

" Well, it's good to see you two returned in one piece."

He adjusted his glasses and went to his office, leaving the confused Kise and the unimpressed Kuroko.

* * *

" So basically, Tetsu-kun pretended to be out cold and Ki-chan fought this Kagami."

Momoi confirmed. In the moment, Kise, Kuroko and heself were situated in the living room which was fairly vast and simple. She was on an armchair while the other two sat on the sofa with an ice-bag each against their wounds.

" Yes, Momoi-san."

Kuroko responsed but Momoi did not seem to be satisfied with that much information.

" You've trained yourself a lot and've become really strong. Why don't you just fight him head on?"

" He's no wimp, Momoi-san. It would be easier to injure him fiercely, but that is not the way I do things. I bring you guys here so as to do an important task, not making you crippled."

" But will he listen? What if he refuses to work with us?"

Momoi concernedly asked but the blue-haired man appeared to have prepared for those kinds of questions.

" The thing we're going to do certainly will bring loss, but our selfishness does not allow us to stay in the dark everlastingly. What had happened? What will happen? Human always struggle in life because of those unanswered queries and even though we're doing might not figure out the second one. But as for the first one, there is a possibility."

"..."

" Did we kill our beloved one and other innocent people? How far Akashi Seijuuro's sickening games have gone? Will he be punished? Or will us suffer everything while he walks away unharmedly? It's frustrating just to think about a few of them, yet there may be more."

" So..." Kise cautiously said." As long as he's curious about the mentioned matters, there is a chance he might accept our desperate call."

Kuroko looked away for a second and replied:

" Well, it's true, but... Kagami-kun."

He called the name and from the spare room right across the living room, its owner opened the door and stepped out. The unsurprised and sorrowful look on his face implied the fact he had been eavesdropping.

" Judging by what I'm seeing, Kise-kun, he's already approved our proposal."

He then looked at the person opposite him, Momoi.

" Momoi-san, would you mind handing me the data I ask you to find earlier?"

" Sure."

She searched her laptop promptly and turned it to the others when she had found the desired information.

" Sorry, I haven't printed them out yet."

" It's fine."

He then turned his head to where Kagami was standing.

" Kagami-kun."

" What!?"

" Tomorrow, we are going to fetch the this person."

Kagami was baffled and glimpsed the screen of the laptop. Observing the object who had dark skin and a rather intimidating appearance, his splitted eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

" Why me?"

Kuroko was still calm and eyed Kagami severely.

" My apologies for bringing this up but...regarding your past, your swear brother was dead eight years ago and it was an accident."

Kagami's heart sank.

 _" Tatsuya! Tatsuya!"_

 _He shook his brother's body in fright and anxiety. His mind was filled with possibilities but he checked the pulse, it had stopped._

 _"Taiga, you've killed your brother."_

 _Who said that? He looked around but saw nobody but himself. He stared at his quivering hands which was covered in blood. He screamed. It kept raining. The rain that washed away the spilled blood. But the rain could not wash away the guilt._

" You accidentally killed him and therefore, you're a manslaughter. None of us here has experienced directly the feeling of having killed anyone...yet. We still don't know for sure."

All of the people in the room, Kuroko included, twitched at his statement and their faces saddened.

" But this person, Aomine Daiki," everyone's attention averted to the image on the screen." He is a murderer which means he can unhesitantly stab or shoot his opponents. I don't need you to physicially face him up."

Kagami glanced again and met those blue, sunken eyes at which he comprehened Kuroko's intention and sighed in defeat.

" Let's do it, then."

 **End chapter 3.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The final one.**

The rather dim sunlight shone through the window glass illuminated the room that seemed to be an office. The room was neatly arranged with an old writing table in front of the said window, the relatively large bookshelf was placed at the left corner of the room and was of course, close to the table for the user to easily take out reference books when needed. It was just about six o'clock in the morning and judging by the figure falling asleep right on the table, someone had considerably exerted themself. And the person who had just opened the door quietly and stared at the sight unhappily knew this as well. She was too impatient to just stand there and immediately went to his side.

" Shin-chan."

She called and shook him gently so as not to startle him. A small groan came from his mouth as his brows furrowed.

" Takao?"

He managed to make sense of the face he saw firstly after opening his heavy eyelids. With difficulty, he got up, stretched his arms lightly and put the pair of glasses next to him on.

" What time is it?"

He asked and tried to stifle his yawns.

"Only six, it'd better if you went to bed."

" No, I'm awake. Would you mind making me a cup of coffee?"

Despite the obvious sincerity and worry showed in her voice, Midorima deliberately ignored it and returned to the mound of paperwork.

" Shin-chan, if you go on overworking like this, sooner or later you will-"

" Takao, we don't have much time."

He cut Takao rudely which was very unlike him and gave her a serious look. She sighed at his restlessness and sat down a chair situating forward the table.

" Am I the only one who is clueless? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Midorima frowned slightly upon hearing her and adjusted his glasses.

" No, you aren't. Even Kuroko knows nothing regarding this matter."

Her dazed face implied she had not comprehended the situation clearly and so, he proceeded:

" It's very close now. I just know it. I cannot say for certain but... I won't last."

* * *

The wind was blowing rather powerfully or at least they thought it was. Perhaps the fact they were driving the opposite direction and with high speed was the main reason. However, they would be lying if they were to say they dislike the feeling. The wild feeling of having a blast of cool wind hit you while you raced to your desired destination was extraordinary.

All of the sudden, he felt a poke at his left shoulder. He then exclaimed:

" What is it, Kuroko?"

" Can we stop at road 25?"

Kuroko had to answer loudly because of the overwhelming whirring sound created by both the wind and the motorcycle's engine. Kagami frowned with annoyance:

" Why?"

" I need to use the restroom."

* * *

" The vanilla milkshake here is amazing, Kagami-kun."

Even his compliment sounded monotonous, but somehow, it was a little better than usual. They were currently sitting at a fast food restaurant where Kagami was going to have more and more hamburgers and Kuroko was settled with just milkshake.

" What's wrong with you? We haven't had breakfast yet, eat some proper food."

" Then what's wrong with you? Having a bottomless stomach? Please leave something for this place to sell."

Kagami blushed and answered after taking a big bite and had his mouth stuffed to bursting:

" It's not like I won't pay. And besides, we will eventually have to get involved into more fights, it's sensible to eat a lot."

Kuroko sighed at the half-hearted reasoning and looked out the window. Suddenly, he stood up and startled the redhead.

" What is it?"

He followed suit and stared out the window, only to catch a glimpse of a man whose face was covered with a mask and showed only his eyes standing far too close to his property and jamming his passkey. Kagami gritted his teeth and ran outside instantly while shouted angrily:

" Hey! Hey!"

However, he did not make it. The thief succeeded in starting the engine and having the transport ridden away, just in time for him not to be beaten by Kagami. It happened within thirty seconds.

Kuroko ran out much later than Kagami as if it was intentional of him. He came up to the person whose long back was at him.

" Hey Kuroko..."

Kagami's voice was not at all expressive and rather dull. The look on his face reflected surprise, but he was not surprised at the fact he was robbed.

" Do you have the same thought I have?"

Kuroko stared at the direction the thief had gone, remembered the pair of eyes he saw last night and nodded in agreement:

" I suppose so."

* * *

The man knelt trembly on the icy ground and looked up with imploring and fearful eyes. Desperately, he tried to utter another plea but he gave up the seemingly futile thought seeing the merciless look of the two man observing him. He could not hide the fright in the intense atmosphere emitted in the room anymore and sweats started to damp his white shirt. He felt his heart beating increasingly faster and faster. And he felt as if it had stopped as soon as the silence was broken because of a loud yawn. The two men who were guarding him turned their face to the entrance of the office and spotted a certain person:

" Boss."

They greeted casually in unison while their posture stayed the same. The man with the sly expression and wore glasses remained sitting on the couch while the other person who was tall and big compared to his colleague stood against the wall showing displeasure because his ringleader arrived late, again.

" Yo."

He stepped in slowly or rather with a lazy manner and sat down the chair behind his desk. His eyes moved to the shivering man on the floor:

" What's with the mess in my workplace?"

He stared at the wall unmindfully and when nobody answered, he repeated, this time, directed to one person:

" Imayoshi, what's it this time?"

"As you can see, somebody has done something wrong."

He then walked to Aomine's desk and put a document in front of him.

" His name is Sakurai Ryou, 23 years old."

Aomine flipped the pages carelessly without reading.

" Did he not pay the debt?"

" Well, it's true-"

" Then, simply use the gun and..."

He stopped and used his index finger and middle finger and pointed them at his temple, indicating to just shoot the subject. However, Imayoshi appeared to have other things in mind.

" Boss, please, read properly."

"..."

" Even though he should have been killed, we cannot do it yet."

Right away, he gestured the remaining person in the room to come closer.

" Wakamatsu here happened to overhear a very special conversation. It seems Sakurai, who has been buying drugs from us, had also sold us out."

That definitely caught Aomine's attention. His eyes quickly filled with more seriousness and his voice was harsher:

" So the police found out about us?"

" We don't know, he's been in touch with and revealed our address to an unknown person."

" Get it, so this 'thing' here doesn't want to confess?"

" Yes."

Aomine then got out of his seat and crouched down to the same level as Sakurai.

" You know, usually I would hold the collar of one stubborn person like this..."

He did the said action and was capable of moving Sakurai's body just by one hand.

"... and fling them across this room."

The poor, small man cringed as his wide eyes begging him to let go.

"Or...!"

He exclaimed and took out his lighter.

" This method is usually for women, but I can have an exception."

The grin appeared on his long face, like that of the scar on his nape that could hardly be seen from behind. His eyes brightened up with awfully truthful ruthlessness. The tiny, fragile flame appeared out of the blue and was directed to his thin skin. Sakurai could feel the heat on his cheek and the coldness pierced through every inch on his body. But the icy feeling was nowhere near as cold as the dark blue eyes, staring at his.

" The third option is of course to spill the beans. Make up your mind quickly or I'll do it for you."

His low and raucous voice just added up his menacing presence.

" I-I..."

On the other hand, Sakurai's stuttering and high-pitched voice just showed his true cowardly self.

" Who was it you'd been contacting with, Ryou?"

All of the sudden, a loud clatter broke the intense atmosphere in the room. Everyone's attention was drawn to the wide open door and they noticed an extremely prominent figure stepped inside.

" Who the hell the you?"

Wakamatsu shouted and promptly pointed his M1911 at the potential threat. The other person at the door was not disconcerted, though. He spent under a few seconds to scan their features and gave a provoking smile.

"The name is Kagami. Nice to meet you, mister stealer."

" What?"

" Dude, I'm talking about your thug-faced boss."

Aomine glanced at the disdainful face with an unshown interest, but the redhead was not enough to make him stand up.

" Hum... You must be the motobike's owner. Apologise to me. I only went joyriding a bit. I could give it back tomorrow."

His voice did not match the words from his mouth. Kagami rolled his eyes at the shameless attitude and uttered:

"Ohhh, yeah right!"

"BANG!"

He almost bit his tongue when a deadly bullet was fired and went over his head and through the wall behind him. A thin stream of smoke was visible as it escaped the barrel. He eyed Aomine's crouching stance and was then greatly astonished, because he knew that bored man could have easily killed him.

" Why don't we cut to the chase? I think I know you, Kagami Taiga."

"!?"

" A blackmailer who could ruin a whole career of any unfortunate target, a wealthy business man or even an entire corporation. The ability to infiltrate, gain pieces of necessary information and to use that weakness against your target. I have wanted to recruit you. But..."

He finally decided to stand up and walk nearer to the cautious Kagami, who was terribly aware of the dangerous weapon on his hand.

"... I don't recall inviting you here. What do you want?"

He pointed his gun at Kagami's throat and asked with threatening eyes. The redhead gulped silently and opened his mouth to utter something, but it was inaudible. Aomine gave a scowl and his finger was close to pull the trigger.

" What?"

Kagami did not break his eye contact with him and receded very slowly. Aomine, on the contrary, stepped forwards and began to corner Kagami. Briefly, Kagami glanced sidelong which made Aomine do the same thing and quickly strode leftwards. Another sudden sound filled the room a milisecond before the window shards went all over the place. Wakamatsu and Imayoshi were caught off-guard and were shot by Kagami. Aomine turned around just to see blood poured out from his fainted men's limbs and he flinched upon hearing a metallic sound beside him. Still gripping his colt, he turned his head rightwards and there next to the broken window, a very normal-looking man was aiming at him.

" Freeze, Aomine-kun."

The light blue-haired male said curtly to his subject's amuse.

" Two against one? So unfair!"

Without a single fear on his face, he dropped his gun, smiled and said unworriedly and eyed the unknown men.

"I would suggest giving up now, Aomine-kun."

" Are you suppose to be the cops? Am I arrested?"

"No, we are not the police and do not come here in order to bring you any harm. We-"

Kuroko widened his eyes and uttered a cry of pain as he received a direct hit on his abdomen, resulted in falling flat on his back. Kagami was jolted and therefore fired his gun, but he missed terribly because Kuroko distracted him:

" DON'T SHOOT!"

Without hesitation, Aomine moved to Kagami and punched his chest, strong enough to stumble him. He hit his head against the wall and lost his consciousness for a brief second, only to realise afterwards his gun was taken away and he himself got another punch on the temple.

" Do you expect I will listen?"

Aomine looked at the out-cold Kagami and the petite man who was barely aware of his surrounding disappointingly and clicked his tongue loudly. Unarmed and injured, Kuroko sat up and gazed at the weapon belonged to Kagami which was touching his forehead, his nose was uncomfortable with the smell emitted from it. His mouth slowly moved to form words:

"No, I think."

His clear sky blue irises and his bluish dark one for the first time had time to really see each other.

Aomine, for some reason, was reluctant to pull the trigger. Was it because of the strange sound he was hearing? What was it? He eyed the young man on the floor, defenseless and ready to be killed, his messy blue hair and his round eyes, making his appearance looked stupid. But there was no hidden desire nor purpose in those eyes, and there was no fear looking at them.

" What do you want?"

His voice was drier, and the trigger was so close to be pulled by his unsteady forefinger.

" Please. Come with us."

He bent his brows more.

" Are you guys trying to recruit me or something?"

" You can say that."

He paused for a bit and continued the conversation.

"What will I gain? How much are you gonna pay me? I'm not free."

" Well..."

Kuroko dragged and seemed to irritate the one holding the gun.

"... To be honest, there is no cash nor anything money-related."

The force applied on his forehead increased as the scowl on Aomine's face worsened.

"Are you fricking kidding me?"

" There is one and only one thing you will get from going with us..."

"..."

"... And that is the truth."

Seeing his confused face, he glanced over Kagami and said:

" Why don't you take the paper from Kagami-kun's pocket?"

The confusion did not leave him. But what would he lose from doing that? He would check their belongings sooner or later anyway and honestly, he was confident enough to not be caught off-guard. Knowing so, he ordered Kuroko to stand up with his gun still aiming at his head and walked him towards the redhead's whereabouts. Kagami was leaning helplessly on the cold surface of the wall. Forceably, he pushed Kuroko down, had him sit next to Kagami, thrust his one hand into the pocket and searched for the said paper. As the his skin came in contact with the object, he pulled it out. He unfolded it and the content shocked him. His heart tightened painfully and the memories came unwarned like that of a storm.

 _" Daiki!"_

 _The voice sounded in the air, but he could not see that person. The footstep behind just got louder and faster, but all he saw was unknown shadow. Was the hallway endless? Or was he uncapable of escaping? Ran and ran and ran, he told himself to calm down and that everything would be alright like he always did. But this time, it was different. It was not going to be alright when it concerned somebody's life. But... But...he did not do it._

 _His feet became so numb and senseless, but he kept running, even though his lungs were in great need of oxygen. What was it that making him run? Perhaps, desire? Or selfishness? The selfishness of going on living and the desire of justifying for himself? Or was it hope? The hope that had always helped many and many people to go through their own adversities? But...where was it, the hope that was filling up in him? Where was it when all he saw then was the unmovable wall. Where was it when that person had caught him? It had abandoned him. And when the only thing he had was his pair of bare hands and all behind him was that man's servants with weapons, when he shouted and screamed terrifying screams, when they mercilessly cut and pierced him, when he had only one route left and...when all he saw then was red on his hands, he understood. Hope had gone._

" 123 **4**."

* * *

Momoi was typing on the laptop in her bedroom when she heard the continuous doorbell. She vacated the room and hurriedly went open the door. Expecting to see Kuroko and Kagami, she prepared to greet them with a welcoming smile, but she did not do it as she saw the sight behind the wooden door. The tall, well-built redhead had bandage around his head and stumbled slightly while Kuroko was acting normal, but she could see scratches on where his skin was exposed and a bruise on his face.

" What's wrong?"

" Oh! This?"

Kagami pointed at his injure and used the worst excuse ever: 'the stairs' and carried on going rest in his room. Kuroko silently walked into the kitchen, probably looking for Midorima. Momoi followed him and held his arm gently.

" Tetsu-kun, why are you like this? Did this Aomine beat you guys?"

Kuroko awkwardly looked at her worried face with his hands reaching the faucet in the counter.

" It's true. But then again, it was my miscalculation that I got us in more trouble than expected."

" He's horrible!"

He smiled and dried his hands.

" He's been through a lot, kind of like us, so let's sympathise him, OK?"

Momoi looked down and felt ashamed for what she had just said. What right did she have to judge him while just a week ago, she was still selling drugs? She nodded and earned a light rub on the head.

" By the way, where is Midorima-kun?"

" Um... I've been working in my room since noon, so I'm not too sure."

" What now? I want to tell him about Aomine-kun."

" Did you get him to agree joining us?

* * *

 _Three hours ago_

Aomine did not notice his trembling hands and Kuroko pretended not to. Five seconds, ten seconds and fifteen seconds,... Kuroko did not count, but to Aomine, he just took a step back to the past and the trip was unpleasant. Out of nowhere, he rolled his hand into a fist and landed a strike onto Kuroko. Blood came from his mouth and a bruise then existed on his pale face. As for the other, something started to be visible in his eyes. Hatred, anxiety, regret and other emotions Kuroko thought they should have been shown, but he just spotted a growing desire, a desire to kill. Somewhat subconsciously, he stood up, averted the barrel and directed it to Kuroko. Suddenly, he sensed an overwhelming presence and got back to reality. He turned his head to the seemingly unconscious man and got kicked at his knees. He tripped but got his balance back rightaway. Before he knew it, Kuroko got up as well as he clouted his colt. A two against one fight was started, none was armed. Kagami attacked. He strode and kicked sidelong, but Aomine blocked it with his palm, quickly held his foot and pulled it to make him plunge. Kagami was on the floor and Kuroko was not in his field of vision. And immediately, he felt an immense pain at the area near his waist. He glanced down and saw the blood pouring out.

" Aomine-kun, give up. You lose."

"..."

"We infiltrated instead of doing so directly because that way, I knew you guys won't be prepared and surely have one gun each, unlike us. Knives are expected, but then I rethink..."

Sweats rolled on Aomine's face.

"...because all of us were stabbed by him. I figure you would be effected by that trauma and would just use guns."

" Why don't you fire?"

" Then Aomine-kun. Why didn't you fire? You could have shot me without listening to any reasoning like you always did before. But you didn't right?"

He gave Aomine a soft, truthful smile.

" Because different from him, you are afraid of the idea of killing someone."

" Shut up!"

Aomine held his wound and said. A bitter smile was broken into.

" What do you know? Just by the way you say about it, I know that-"

"-I have never killed anyone, and that is certainly true. But if it means only someone who has dirtied their hands in the past can talk to you, I can handle that. Or rather..."

He turned to Kagami who was painfully trying to get up.

"... Kagami-kun here can handle that."

Having received such an obvious signal, Kagami approached Aomine.

" As a person who has been through similar circumstances, can I talk you into doing this? You can regard it as revenge or justification for yourself."

Aomine was quiet. He observed his face with concentration while he was deep in thought.

" What will guarantee you guys don't work for Akashi and that this is not a...game?"

They fastened their eyes upon one another's facial expression and after coming to conclusion without uttering a single word, Kurokoo turned to Aomine and contemplated his beautiful yet sorrowful face.

" Your gut."

* * *

 _Three hours later_

"It was so fierce, Tetsu-kun."

Momoi remarked upon what she was just told while Kuroko nodded out of agreement. It was lively when he told the story and Momoi questioned along the way, but soon enough, the kitchen became silent due to the appearance of one particular person.

" Midorima-kun."

Kuroko got out of his chair and walked towards him.

" Where were you? I couldn't find you."

" My apologies, Kuroko,it was careless of me. I was caught up with work and forgot the time."

" It's fine, though, oh..."

Kuroko blurted out as his eyes glanced the area behind Midorima.

" Takao is still in my room. She is helping me rearrange the bookshelf."

"I understand."

He responsed and intended to walk away, but he spotted an incomprehensible expression on his face.

" Is there anything wrong?"

" What time will that Aomine arrive?"

Kuroko was slightly taken back by the sudden change of topic.

" About 8 o'clock which is one hour from now."

" Good."

" Um... Is there any personal matter you wish to discuss with him?"

" For a matter of fact, I need to talk with all of you as soon as possible."

Watching both Kuroko and Momoi's perplexed look, he sighed and said:

"I'm terribly sorry for rushing it, but we have no time left. Right when he comes, we'll all have a meeting in the living room."

"..."

" I'm going to tell you the reason Akashi did all of this."

* * *

Exhausted, he regarded the paperwork with unwillingness and pinched the bridge of his nose. The watch on his wrist told it was time for him to go home, but like usual, he stayed for a little longer. Putting his pencil into the sharpener, he felt a light vibration at his hand which was not bad of a sensation and thought about the schedule for tomorrow. His stream of thought was cut when he heard a knock on the door.

" Come in."

He assumed it was his secretary informing him that it was very late, but he was thrilled to see another person. His huge, tall figure never failed to force him to feel envy.

" What seems to be the problem?"

He asked. The other person stepped in tiringly as he was under the weather, maybe due to eating unhealthy food again. He stopped when his feet reached the desk and put a mound of paper on which made his superior sighed heavily.

" Well. My men've just told me something very important and I think you might like it."

A grin appeared on his face as he understood the situation. With a swift movement, he pushed all the unrelated paper away and pulled the said stack closer to him. He promptly scanned the letters and stopped when his eyes spotted a photo.

" Where is this?"

He took it out and pointed the background.

" It was taken at a fastfood shop on road 25, quite far away from here."

" Is that so?"

The smile did not leave his charming face which drew the tall one's attention.

" It's rare to see you find a person interesting, is it the redhead?"

" No, Atsuhi..."

His hand moved to the image of the person nearby and lightly stroke it.

" It's the beautiful blue-haired male... Tetsuya!"

 **End chapter 4.**

 **End part 1**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 2: The reason.**

 **Chapter 5: Storm.**

Midorima was not even making an attempt to conceal his exasperation. His heavy exhalation in addiction to his direct glare towards the newcomer substantially gave those around him which were Kise and Momoi a fright.

" Aomine."

He addressed his last name and managed to draw his attention to his angry expression.

" I know you've just come here, but...would you PLEASE put your feet down?"

The somewhat nonchalant man ended his short conversation with Kuroko abruptly and turned to the house's owner.

" Sorry there...Midorima...right? Force of habbit."

He broke into an ungainly grin and removed his feet from the coffee table of the living room. Kuroko just sighed at how intolerant Midorima could be, but then again, Kuroko was excessively easygoing.

" Now that we are all gathered, why don't you start, Midorima-kun?"

Kuroko's suggestion silenced the noisy room and Midorima was thankful for that. He glanced around, seeing Momoi at his left and Kise at his right, Kuroko and Aomine in front of him and Kagami standing by the door with his back against the blank wall.

" By the way, where is Kazuna?"

Momoi pointed out the obvious absence of her cousin and awaited an answer from the green-haired male.

" She's...already been told."

Everyone's eyes were at him. He bent his brows slightly and continued:

" She took it better than I thought, but as for you, getting mad is unexpectedly not enough. It's intelligible to hit me afterwards or..."

He did not finish his sentence and cleared his throat to change the topic.

" Have any of you ever heard of the phenomenon called 'Spontaneous human combustion'?"

The room was soon filled with only Midorima's voice, their steady breathings, the confusion and the horror on their face.

* * *

The Akashi Corporation, one of the most developed company not just in the country but also in the world. Needless to say, the ability to set up, maintain and advance such business is astonishing, and that credit belongs to Akashi Masaomi, a talented and intellectual entrepreneur. He was enviable and that was undeniable. Having a triumphantly successful career, a lovely wife and after two years of living together, she gave him a child, or rather, an heir. At first glance, the boy was bright and promising. And he was named Akashi Seijuuro. As he grew up, he was distinctive compared to other children, showing crystal clear differences both academically and physically. But no matter how he was, he was loved by his incredible parents. His father was strict, though, seeing his whole career was going to be in the boy's hands in the near future. Akashi had started to learn differently from a very young age of six. At school, he would study obligatory subjects such as Mathematic, Japanese and so on. And when he got home, he would study them as well, but much more advanced. Additionally, he also studied foreign languages, musical instuments, martial arts,... everything his father regarded as necessary to become a great leader.

A learning system that gave even adults a hard time, let alone a small child. Yet, Akashi never vented. He was sensible enough to understand his position and to view things more objectively. But the main reason was because of his supportive mother. She washed away all of his pain and grief and gave him one very precious thing, and that was a promise. A promise to support him forever and always, no matter how things would turn out or however distant they could be. A promise that would carve into one child's mind and soul.

And one promise that could ruin him forever if one did not keep it.

He ran after her slender figure. Everlastingly it might have seemed, the run he had. He could see her face, but he could not hear her voice. When the distance between a mother and her child is too great, it is devastating, excruciatingly so.

His father just kept intensifying his studying system and he obediently did what was ordered. But something in him changed, as something in him died.

* * *

 _Summer 2005_

The bell rang loudly and constantly, indicating the end of the last period. Swiftly, Akashi took note of a few things that he considered important from the professor's lecture. As the last letter was visible on the page, automatically, the pen was released from the hold of his fingers. He shook his right hand lightly so as to relieve the ache since he had been writing a lot more than usual. He glanced his wristwatch and emitted a sigh of fatique. It appeared he had an appointment with his cousin after spending a long day at the university. Feeling comparatively dispirited, he gathered all of his coursebooks on the desk and placed them, systematically, in his backpack. With long, tiring treads, he got out of his still noisy classroom. The hallway was long, probably longer than what he was mostly used to. It was never lengthened though, but his mind did not get that message.

The campus was also vast, unnecessarily so, in his opinion. Usually, he would stop at the beautiful fountain and just had a brief view of it, but he was not given that much free time that day.

It was not another ten metres that he could reach the gate. But at the very position he was standing, his eyes could easily perceive the prominent car parking right in front of the gate and of course the crowd forming around it.

"Shintarou."

The green-haired man leaning gently against the car facing opposite Akashi looked up in response of the greeting.

" It took you quite long there, did you forget?"

His short, jade hair was cut neatly and suited his deep, green eyes. He was tall, well-built but looked slightly more slender with the long-sleeved vest on. He removed the bandage on his left hand as Akashi could see, but the pair of glasses was still on. Not that the opposite sex was not fond of that appealing appearance.

" My apologies, I lost track in time trying to focus in the important explaination of my lecturer."

" Well, I don't mind. But if it were your father, it would be another story. Get in and come up with a better excuse next time."

" My! Don't be mistaken. Because it is you that I used such a cheap excuse."

He gave a taunting smile at which Midorima sighed somewhat defeatedly.

" Just get in you."

He opened the door into the car's back seat and Akashi silently entered and sat properly. Midorima went into the driver's seat and without any further talking, drove away.

"Did those girls cause you any problem?"

It was until a few minutes later that Akashi broke the silence and decided to be the first to speak.

" Want to have a guess?"

" Unlike the last time, your clothes don't have any crease, so I assume you're safe and undisturbed."

" They did ask me to take a picture with them."

Akashi's eyebrows quirked up slightly at the remark and continued the topic with another smile on his lips.

" And you have never experienced that before?"

" No one can ever get used to that, Akashi."

Seeing he himself had no reply to that, he looked outside the window and stared at the pedestrians. Staring at their daily activities and the more people he saw, the more variety of activities he managed to catch sight of. Midorima saw Akashi's dazed expression by his reflection on the mirror and voiced out:

" You look as if the sight people walking around is new."

" It has been a long time since I last encountered these simple things. Normally, I would fall asleep as soon as I were inside the car."

He answered while red irises still fixated on the passers. His cousin observed the look on his face and reflected upon his reply. Apart from being relatives and consecutively, they lost their mothers, they shared one and probably only one thing in common, and that they were human.

* * *

" I really thought we were going to have an appointment with Midorima-sama."

Midorima nodded in agreement with Akashi's words.

" I thought so, myself. But when I reached your university, I received a call from him, saying that he had other business to attend. You can have me drive you home, but Akashi-sama doesn't know we are currently free."

Akashi broke into a grin upon hearing what those two had thought of and chuckled.

" It's not like you at all, Shintarou. Lying just to give me a so-called day off?"

" Oh yeah, don't get freak out because of its newness. Sure?"

Midorima went on staring at the figure laughing himself into convulsions behind him, but manage to keep it suppressed. He waited until the laughter gradually stopped and Akashi looked up at him.

" So, seeing you're entirely free from now to midnight, do you have any idea where to go to?"

" Anywhere is fine."

He answered immediately, like a decisive person he was. But that was the least wanted answer in any circumstance, that one included.

" Would you mind being more specific?"

" Anywhere quiet, I suppose."

Midorima respired deeply through his mouth, must be feeling like giving up. His two years old younger cousin was such a handful. But he was glad that at least Akashi was being true to himself in his presence, quite the contrary when his father was supervising him.

" Fine then, how about the beach?"

* * *

The room was suffocating. The windows were wide open, but one could still feel the immense lack of oxygen. Even the butler was exuding sweat which dampened his white shirt terribly. He was so relieved his black vest outside covered it. He steadied his breathing and watched as two influential figures on two separate sofas staring at each other. The first to begin the conversation was his seemingly composed master.

" Midorima-sama, after you contacting me yesterday, I believed my son was under your supervision and was getting the privilege of receiving the instruction directly from the CEO of the Midorima's corporation. Yet, when I had a talk with your secretary, I find out that my son who is also accompanied by the Midorima's heir is driving on the highway towards your private beach."

His voice was low and was hidden from all rudeness, showing only solemn language which the man sitting opposite him saw through with ease.

" That is true. According to my calculation, they should be reaching the destination any moment now."

" Midorima-sama."

Then the green-haired man was startled slightly by the sudden change in his tone. He did not avoid the glare, though, and instead put on a cheerful facade.

" You called me?"

"Yes, I called you Ryouhei."

" Being informal already Masaomi?"

" Just because you're my cousin doesn't mean you conveniently have the right to decide everything on your own."

" I can say the same thing to you. Being Seijuuro's father doesn't make you the controller of his life."

Each of their voice started to have an edge which sent forth an ignition to one another's nerve. Ryouhei proceeded:

"As a smart and calculative person, I have never thought you would be so stupidly stubborn. How many times have we had the same agrument like this?"

" And if I recalled correctly, I think I was always the winner."

"..."

" You are too soft which resulted in the situation where your son refuses inheirting you and chooses to work in the medical field."

" And I'm not disppointed by his decision."

His stern countenance was supporting his statement but deep down, anyone would still feel a touch of dejection when their only child reject pursuing your well off career.

" This talk is getting nowhere. Do you agree?"

" I cannot say that better myself."

Their anger was expressed in each and every words. Masaomi gestured his butler to approach them.

" Please show our guest the way out."

He adverted his eyes from the butler to his 'beloved' cousin. Ryouhei was on the same page, apparently, as he stood up rightaway.

" You and Shiori...are horrible."

He walked out without saying a parting, leaving only Masaomi in the room to lean against the sofa exhaustingly and grieve in private. The clock kept on ticking, the huge workload awaited him. But his mind was not stray. He wondered if he was a terrible father and if he was even a father to Akashi. Ever since the incident happened, the house had begun to lose its warmth and he had been using work as an escape route from distress. But what about his son?

" Why don't I watch TV?"

He thought out loud and reached the remoter on the table. Almost straightaway, he felt a strange sensation, and the feeling worsened as he pressed the button to turn on the television. And it changed from strangeness to extreme fright when he spotted a brief sight of the 23 highway. With trembly hands, he took out his phone and made a call.

" Masaomi?"

" Ryouhei!"

He talked the same time he ran outside and got into his car. What he did was wise and prudent, because this morning when his son went to school, it was the last time he got to see him.

 **End chapter 5.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Tempest.**

 _Three hours ago_

 _About 5 o'clock_

" After taking this road, we won't be far from the beach."

Midorima informed Akashi, who was fighting to not fall asleep on the comfy seat, in the breeze blowing from the air conditioner while the Ipod was playing "Moon river".

" Be careful about controlling the speed, OK?"

Midorima rolled his eyes and gripped the steering wheel slightly tighter. He slowly added more force into his foot which was stepping on the accelerator to increase the speed from 50 km/h to more or less 90 km/h. As the car picked up the pace, Midorima began to compose himself and take a deeper breath. Car accidents are almost too common and he did not want to be one of those many unfortunate victims.

" Don't be so tense, Shintarou. You're making me worry."

Akashi complained which Midorima found it truthful.

" My apologies, Akashi. It's just...out of the blue, I'm having butterflies in my stomach."

" Are you under the weather?"

" No idea."

Midorima shrugged. The redhead eyed his cousin carefully while stayed silence and, instead of leaning back, he straightened up. It did seem Midorima was not the only person feeling the uneasiness. Appreciatively, the road they were taking was not considerably long. Five minutes after they advancing, the unbearable stomachache disappeared and they felt more relaxed as time went by.

" We're almost there, Akashi."

Midorima gradually decreased the speed and in the same time, the tensity in his gut seemed to lessen as well.

" Thank God!"

He murmured to himself. Holding the steering wheel by one hand, he stretched the other one out and changed to another song quickly. Immediately, the atmosphere changed in the presence of "Silent night", his favourite song. It was soothing as space and time seemed to have stopped when the lovely melody resonated in their mind. All of the sudden, they heard a shriek broke through all boundaries and ached their mind. Akashi instinctively turned round and held in the desire to exclaim in horror. Millions of questions crammed into his brain which proved our brain could never get full.

" Why the hell is there a motorcycle on the highway?"

He shouted out to Midorima as his resistance failed him miserably. However, that was not the problem, it was the thing that was sending shivers all over his arteries and veins.

" Fire..."

He mumbled in disbelief. Fire, it was. The flicker caught his eyes as the merciless flame swallowed the driver who was still driving at high speed and trying desperately to stop. He braked abruptly. But the force sent him and the vehicle flying and he hit the ground. Blood poured out from his nape and he died. But the fire had not been put out. As the petrol leaked out of the motorcycle and flow like that of a stream, Akashi widened his eyes.

" BOOM!"

An explosion. A bigger fire appeared along with smokes. He saw nothing but heard everything. The screeches, the brakes, the cry. Their car was still driving, but Midorima could not dodge the car uncontrollably running towards them. Akashi fell from his seat and shards from the shattered window scattered on him. Directly, they were hit by an unknown car.

 _" Silent night, Holy night_

 _All is calm, all is bright_

 _..."_

Midorima coughed out blood and weakly crawled out the fragments. His eyesight was blurred by the blood flowing out of him. Pain and fright. Akashi was not in his field of vision. Every function of him seemed to stop working. He could not breathe...and felt sleepy.

 _"...Sleep in heavenly peace_

 _Sleep in heavenly peace."_

And he did not.

* * *

Fortunately, there was no traffic jam on the way to the hospital. Both parents alternately inhaled and exhaled heavily because they were using most of the oxygen calming their weak mental state. The chauffeur himself could feel the intense atmosphere and the weight on his shoulder to be responsible for taking them to the all important hospital as fast as possible. There was no room for error. How they were able to keep all the nervousness behind the unflustered facade, he did not know. But the unendurable silence was effecting him so significantly, he could feel sweat dampening his palms.

" We are almost there."

He informed with a slight quaver in his voice as the car turned left at the intersection. Without any response, he still mentally grasped the silent approval. All of the sudden, an ambulance went past them. Judging by the red light he caught sight of, he could tell it was an emergency ambulance.

" They are on it..."

He could not believe his ears when he realised whose voice it was.

" Masaomi-sama?"

He looked at the mirror just to witness such a complex expression he never knew he would be able to see ever since ten years ago when he started working for the Akashi. There was no tear, but it looked like he was going to break down and cry any second now.

" Are you alright sir?"

He sincerely asked but the man turned away and faced the window glass, silently nodded. His cousin was not surprised at the emotion-influenced actions, but deep down, he blamed him, for not showing them twelve years ago, when his son needed them the most.

* * *

The corridor was noisy. The entire hospital was in a turmoil as up to twenty severely injured people got sent in. They were mostly hopeless cases. The doctor who was in charge of the emergency room, Nijimura Shouzo, had had the worst day of his life. To be unable to save their lives was one thing, but to deal with their families and friends, it was totally different and somewhat new, even for a veteran like him. It was simple, they came in, asking if their husband/wife/friend/cousin was safe and sound. Of course, if he said 'yes', then it would be the best day of their life. However, if he were to say 'no', their life turned to a whole different direction, for the better or for the worse. And out of them, if it seemed necessary, he would have a nurse take them to a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

" What a day!"

He murmured and sat down his swivel when his body was fatiqued from overworking. For one brief minute, he leaned on the chair and closed his heavy eyes. Time was up! Stretching his arms, he moved the chair towards the window, awaiting any patient to come. But instead, he spotted a black BMW760Li parking near the entrance, the same one he had seen half an hour ago. Just when he recalled that came two people stepped out of the car. By the naked eyes, it was obvious they were wealthy basing on the quality of their vehicle. But to see their appearance, charming and exquisite, he was quite impressed. Because they were far from him, he might have not been able to see the gloominess flastered on their face.

Every step he took was heavier than the last one as he was closer to going inside the hospital. But encouraged by Ryouhei, he inhaled strongly and strode faster, trying to imagine butterflies escaping his stomach to diminish all negative thoughts. But he was back to square one when he saw the face of the receptionist, all exhausted and ready to say the bad news, his inside seemed to tighten.

Ryouhei went and asked them without noticing that.

" Excuse me, we're looking for our sons."

It was amazing how his words came out smoothly and did not reflect his overwhelming anxiety. But nobody was patient enough to care about small details.

" Could your sons be the victims of the crash on the highway 23?'

Both parties showed great concern when his reply was a barely audible 'yes'.

" Name, please?"

" Akashi Seijuuro and Midorima Shintarou."

Straightaway, at the mention of their names, the woman's face went pale. She deliberately ignored the man and picked up the phone.

" Nijimura-sensei, the families of Akashi Seijuuro and Midorima Shintarou are here...Yes...Yes."

She ended the call swiftly and gazed the two men nervously.

" Please follow me, Nijimura-sensei, the doctor in charge of the emergency room wishes to have a talk with both of you."

* * *

The black-haired man sat and waited in jitter. What should he talk to them? The wrong way of using the vocabulary and then, he would have two screaming men in his office. Alternately, he stood up and sat down the swivel, feeling nervous and somewhat trembly about the forthcoming conversation. And his heart seemed to fall out of his chest when he heard somebody knocking at the door.

" Come in."

He was greeted with an astonishing sight. The first to step in was a tall, green-haired man wearing a pair of thick glasses who dresses smartly. The next one whose hair was sleek, red gave him a more apparent presence. Both were middle-aged and were definitely intellectuals which just added up their menacing appearance. Yet their face were wan and eyes were so weary and worn out.

" You two must be..."

" Akashi Masaomi and Midorima Ryouhei."

Masaomi cut him off, showing great restlessness.

" I'd like you to cut to the chase and tell us our sons' condition."

Nijimura gulped at that. He observed them and seeing the sharpness in those irises, he understood he could not keep the matter hidden anymore.

" Please do not get agiated. I can say they are not in the jaws of death."

Despite fragile, a hope flastered on their face...

" But..."

...and was lost rightaway.

" This is the first time I've ever encountered such a case."

Ryouhei, who had a decent amount of medical knowledge, trod forward.

" So are you saying, they are in a coma?"

He was utterly relieved when the doctor shook his head. He then gestured them to follow him to a specific room, 203. It was situated at the end of the corridor and gave out a gloomy feeling that made their blood run cold.

" Inside this room..."

Nijimura pointed at the door and talked to them with an awfully solemn expression.

" ...your son are recovering."

And that implied that the sight would be a horror to see. He was hoping for a refusion, but he sighed when they agreed firmly.

" Please prepare."

He held the doornob and looked at them again, wondering if they wanted to turn back. But they nodded. The door was then moved, slowly and they already smelt an unpleasant odor. Perhaps a mix of the metallic smell of blood and the dimethyl ether.

It was like that of a roller coaster. So fast! From fright to nervousness, and from then to terror, they might have a heart attack. To see their proud son, each on a separate bed and seemed to be on the verge of dying, out of the blue, a teardrop rolled on the cheek, from those eyes that thought to be so cold and was stripped all the emotions off. They could not tell if they were breathing in the midst of machines and beeping equipments, could not even see their face covered by the bandages and an oxygen mask.

* * *

 _Present time_

"What are the chances of surviving a deadly accident?"

Midorima queried them, those who had lost their countenance.

" I...We were not too sure at the time, but...we should not have been alive."

 **End chapter 6.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The nightmare therein.**

How do you define 'miracle'?

If we look it up in the dictionary, it will say:" A miracle is an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural and scientific laws, attributed to a supernatural being (God or gods), a miracle worker, a saint or a religious leader.

Sure is great to be saved from an incurable disease, a stab through your heart or even to have a limb restored to you after having been amputated.

But do miracles occur everday?

No, it hardly ever happen.

But still, somebody received one.

Does that mean God and the others are unfair?

But we are never told that miracle is truly created by one of them.

Who knows?

They could not be miracles at all. And propably, it was not God or the saints,...who gave us such events.

Who knows?

It could be the devil.

* * *

"How do you realise when you are not alive anymore? Besides the immense pain that is the indication of not being alive nor being dead, what do we see? What do we hear? What will happen next?"

Midorima adjusted his glasses and the pair of lenses which was somewhat thought to be concealing his beautiful irises just now seemed to be transparent as it really was and was letting the light shone through. And appeared the emerald so deep one day and at this very moment, such an understament to say it was harrowing their beating hearts. The eyes of one who was only in their mid-thirties gave them a distant look like that of a man who had been through much worse adversities.

" I cannot remember anything though. I woke up only to find myself in hell, how ironically when I had just returned from one. Akashi was the same as me, in utter shock that kid could not put on that outward appearance anymore."

He stopped his words, or rather, he was stopped. The deafening thump diverted them to the madness and unbearableness belonged to the once bright, now darkened gold.

" I don't understand a damn thing you're saying Midorima. Just tell us the fricking reason why that psycho harmed us."

Never have they thought their happy-go-lucky mate could release such an outburst of anger. However, secretly, they admitted to having the similar feeling awaited to surface. Upon the strong, loud question, they, Kise included, all looked at the still, calm figure contemplated the series of past events.

" Midorima-kun?"

It was Kuroko's turn to voice up his opinion at which Midorima did not find unexpected.

" I'm on the same page as Kise. Your story is being lengthened unnecessarily. If possible, could you-?"

"No."

In a split second, Kuroko was not in control of his behaviour and raised his eyebrows. But quickly enough, he returned his face back to its blank state.

" I know all of you are eager to learn the truth but...to be honest, I'm not him, so I'm not sure the reason he caused this. The story I'm telling you right now more or less has an essential role. Therefore..."

He glanced sidelong at the reasonably frustrated blond man.

"...sit still and hear me, would you?

* * *

Trying badly to hide his irritation, Midorima gave a titter to the supposedly last person to come and visit him. Seeing his son's uncomfortable gesture, Ryouhei got anxious.

" It was great to have you come all the way here just to pay my humble son a visit."

He said while his hand opened the door, indicating to courteously dismiss the guest. Midorima just heaved a sigh of relief at that. His eyes were closed, but then, it became easier to just turn off the light and have a quick nap. A click of the door sounded and his father stepped in after closing the door behind him.

" That man was pretty annoying, wasn't he?"

Ryouhei smiled and sat down the chair placed beside his bed. He received a nod as an understandable response and went on reading the unfinished novel.

" Father."

His attention was drawn to Midorima's eyes which filled with unfathomable emotions and again, his stomach tightened upon seeing the condition his son was in, unable to sit up and have to lay motionlessly.

" Is there something wrong?"

As sincerely as he could possible ask, the reply was abrup and curt.

" Please turn off the light."

"...OK."

He vacated his seat and walked towards the device which was making the connection in the electric circuit and switched it off. Immediately, the room fell into darkness that only by catching a brief glimpse of the light outside the window could you tell it was morning. And obviously, without the need of being told, Ryouhei grasped the situation and left the room.

" How is he?"

Ryouhei received a call from his cousin and that was the first thing he heard.

" Just like yesterday, not eating much and now, he is showing some attitude with me."

He exhaled heavily as his left hand ran through his hair. Never had he encountered such a rebellious streak of Midorima and that worried him significantly. And base on the absence of sound on the other side, it seemed Masaomi did not have good news either.

" Seijuuro...has not spoken to me once."

The grip on the phone was tautened as Ryouhei did not anticipate that kind of information.

" Nijimura-sensei has already checked and told me he should have no trouble speaking. Have they finally expressed discontent to us?"

Even though Masaomi was at work, this stressful matter appeared to have stuck in his mind all day which was easy to tell by the very slight quaver in his usually stern voice.

" Don't be disheartened. Let us observe their condition for a little longer OK?"

A barely audible agreement emitted as they were prolonging something that was already hopeless, not even worth their endeavour. It was late. No matter how desperately they tried to mend, everything was falling apart.

* * *

It was not until five months later that they were discharged from the hospital. Things, however, were not looking up. The bonds between the fathers and the sons, without any form of realisation, slowly started breaking. Unusual misbehaviours, squabbles, incomprehension. Such small, trivial matters. And one thing led to another, resulted in separation. Midorima and Akashi left their current whereabouts and began living at a flat together after ending all relations to those who had raised them for over twenty years. To be brief, they were disowned.

" At the time I was only 25 while Akashi was 22, still fairly young to live in the real world on our own with just a certain amount of money provided by our fathers. But we managed, I went on studying in medical university while in the same time, did part-time jobs. Akashi, on the other hand, had already learnt most things in college since he was young anyway, so he started working and after two years, had his own business. When he was 25, he was well-known and had several contracts with many large corporations. And one of them..."

Midorima looked directly at the blue-haired male in front of him.

"...was Kuroko's father's."

Everybody was indeed surprised, Kuroko excluded.

" Well, it seems I have been beating about the bush for quite a while now, haven't I? Let's get back to the part where we behaved strangely, seeing that is the only thing that came across as being different from the others. Don't you agree?"

Midorima glanced around the living room and grasped their intentional silence as a rushing approval.

" Like I said, we happened to survive when we should have not. Why, you may ask?"

All of the sudden, he stood up and got out of his seat, approached the window smeared with droplets of the rain. His back was at them, perhaps he tried to hide his own anguish.

" Because we were destined to die at that highway."

"...!"

" Everything was decided aforethought by whom? I'm not sure myself. Could it be God, or could it be Buddha,...? Let's just call it 'destiny'. Our wounds back then were beyond curable and therefore, we should have died. But still, I'm here, talking with you guys like no damn thing happened to me. Materialism or idealism, I'm not concerned about. I have no memory, as well, about what we have seen, what we have heard..."

He pointed his index finger upwards.

"...when we were up there."

Needless to say, the occupants in the room were in disbelief. And Midorima carried on without waiting for them to adapt their mind to the conversation.

" Anyhow, we were sent back, Akashi and I. It must be a bliss, having been revived, you might think. But...it was just a bad joke of destiny, because we were not ourselves anymore from that minute... Kuroko."

He called out the man's name and turned around only to see his overly expressive face at which he smiled, seeing how the man always went ahead of the others.

" If you were me, what do you think would happen to you when you are no longer in the death's hand?"

Kuroko was pale, to the point of looking as if he was going to faint from the overwhelming fright. His trembly feet gave in and he sat on the sofa.

" I... I don't want to hear about this, Midorima-kun."

" Why are you frightened, Kuroko?"

He stepped closer to the said person and patted him on the shoulder.

" Please let it be, I don't want to pry into it any longer."

" At least answer my question, would you?"

But he was ignored by the scared man as Kuroko averted his eyes from the intense stare of Midorima. He sighed at that and proceeded:

" I understand why you are so afraid. At the time, I was even worse than you. 'What am I?',' What's wrong with me?', those questions kept appearing in my head like a torture, a mental affliction. The horror of awaiting the death to come back, not knowing if you were really living, or was it hell, trying to treat our mind with something that was almost mistaken as happiness. Seeing our beloved relatives, extending their arms and giving us care and love while time kept passing by like that of a happy life, almost seemed unreal, a subjective existence that only you could see. Not knowing when you will die, again. Experiencing death all over again, with the pain, the regret, the fearfulness of leaving everything behind while millions of possibly priceless events you could have had."

Every words that left his mouth indirectly worsened their countenance and ruined their composure.

" Terrible, right? And that got to us. Despite not showing it obviously, Akashi was even more agitated than I was. He became sleepless and restless. Every minute passed by was a cruel proof to support his delusion that this was not a real life but instead a dream, an everlasting dream, kind of resemble death, but disgustingly sweeter. Due to the great lack of sleep, his health was affected hugely and on a rainy day, like today..."

He turned to gaze at the sorrowful weather and touched his heart to feel its beating.

"...he first killed somebody."

" What?"

Kise shouted and stood up, unable to sit so calmly anymore.

" It was in fact late at night and he was driving my car on a desolated road, the 62, when he, for a brief moment, lost his consciousness and caused a bloody accident to an innocent woman who was passing the road. She screamed which woke him up, but he did not stop the car in time. It hit her and she was deeply injured at her skull. However,..."

He furrowed his brows in frustration but in the same time, because of sympathy.

"...she was still breathing and I know he knew she could have been saved. All he needed to do was to call the ambulance and more or less, she might have been able to look after her two years old child. Yet, he did not."

His voice went quavering and croaky.

" He stood there and watched like a retard. And something in his mind changed. After that, in the very same month, countless of murder cases occurred, mostly people who were hit directly by an unknown car. The police went crazy, but because it only happened on empty roads, so in the end, they could not figure out who, but perhaps you all know where this is heading, correct?"

He halted and was greeted by their awful and horrified facial expressions which he predicted.

" I had my doubt, I really did. But I was still in disbelief that my cousin did all that, so I did not say anything regarding the matter. But one day, I received a call from him, telling me to come home straightaway. I was clueless and returned home after ten minutes. And when I walked into my house, do you know what I found?"

None of them was capable of answering it, but they all had an assumption and that was...

" A body, a corpse was placed right beside him, beside Akashi, who was not showing any fear, but instead a smiley face, he was at ease. And I know what it meant... In order not to be afraid of death, he had his own solution, however, it was immorally wrong, to kill and play with others' lives."

His fist tightened as he gritted his teeth.

" And I did nothing, because we were the same."

 **End chapter 7.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The day after the nightmare.**

The weather was horrific. The humidity and the agonising heat was so awful and the proof was visible on everyone's dampened face. Kise was not excluded either. He had been waiting outside the store for an astounding one hour. His blond locks were unattractively stuck together and even though the ladies did not mind that, it was annoying him greatly. Making an effort to not be bored to death, he turned on his MP3 player and started listening to the loud music, for he hated the noisiness around him. And from time to time, he would glance at his wristwatch and silently counted as time went by. The tune was there to keep him company, yet again, never had he been a music lover.

" Sorry for the wait, Ki-chan."

Gingerly, Momoi stepped out the shop with two full bags of grocery and slight reddish sides on her face at which Kise was astonished. Without any unnecessary form of a reminder, he rushed to the said woman and insisted on carrying them for her.

" I'm fine. They're not too heavy for me to manage."

" Your hands are going to fall off at this rate Momoicchi, just hand them to me."

" These are only for dinner."

" A dinner for more than five is plenty. And at least think about me. How would people see me if the petite girl next to me is exhausted with her heavy stuff and I just nonchalantly walk?

She still seemed stubborn, but perhaps a bit swayed. An exhalation became somewhat audible as she gave Kise what she had just struggled to get from the crowded store.

" I'll pay the favour next time. OK?"

He smiled with a beam on his charming face as an alternative to a proper response. They then followed the same less packed road they came here to return to their accommodation. Saying that it was not as dense was still an overstatement, they were still required to stroll carefully in the midst of the people in order not to get separated. After a long while of hustling, they turned left into the neighbourhood which was then adequate to say that this was not crowded. As a matter of instinct, they heaved a sigh of relief and let loose their tense body.

" Have you read 'Raspberry champagne' of Q.A.T yet?"

Not feeling too great with the abnormal silence, especially while being with Kise, Momoi asked.

" What is that, a novel?"

" No, it's a short story, if I recall correctly, I quite like it."

" Really? The name sounds rather childish, is it perhaps a corny romance?"

Kise facetiously questioned and Momoi just pouted lightly.

" Ki-chan! It's a romance, but it's not maudlin...at all."

"Well, I have never heard of this author. Is it an amateur?"

" Sort of...but despite writing fairly rarely and updating slowly, she takes it very seriously, you know."

" Wait, updating? So this is a fiction, not a published story?"

She could just tell from his tone that he was not appreciating the fact the authoress she was fond of was only a online writer. And surely it was not cheerful of a feeling.

" It's not like every published story is perfect and not every amateur online story is of poor quality. If you have some free time, why don't you give it a go?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

Kise was not convinced and that just gave her more determination to talk him into trying to read some of her favourites. However, something in his current expression and voice prevented her from doing so. Somehow, she found the blond man to be less talkative and positive that day, and she was clueless.

" Is something wrong?"

She would like to say that out loud, but again, her intuition and reasoning did not reach an agreement and therefore, she was silent until Kise, all of the sudden, said:

" Do you feel like something is missing?"

" Huh?"

She took under thirty seconds to digest what he just said and considered it.

"Now that you say it, I do feel like I'm perhaps forgetting a very important matter. Yet I cannot figure out what."

" So do I."

After taking a lot more steps in silence, something inside Momoi just snapped her out of the stream of thoughts, as the memory had finally arrived.

" Oh my god! Ki-chan!"

Kise, who was walking farther from her, turned his head around with confusion on his face.

" What?"

" It's Tetsu-kun..."

"...!"

" He's still at the store!"

* * *

" Oh dear, that was hectic!"

Momoi bent her body down to relax slightly while stepping due to the tiredness. Kise just shook his head in amusement and Kuroko, like usual, kept his blank face from when they fetched him at the shop to the moment they set foot in Midorima's house.

" My apologies for having the two of you to take the trouble just to bring me home."

His monotonous voice along with his ridiculous formality to the point of irritation were having a very bad effect on their tolerance.

" Well, don't start reminding me of what had just happened, Kurokocchi. And can I talk to you about something in private? A crisis."

The last two words were almost inaudible, just enough for the blue-haired man to hear. Kuroko halted and stared at Kise as he thought what he just heard was beyond his grasp. Momoi, unaware of the conversation, went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving the two men who later came in the living room. Kuroko chose to sit down the arm chair by the window and Kise was settled with sitting down the sofa with its back at the closed door.

"What was it that you want to talk to me about...?"

His blue eyes moved slowly but cautiously, trying to discern his countenance from the usual one but seeing how he himself was so utterly defensive, he soon discarded that idea.

" Are you done reading me?"

Kise gave a smile to Kuroko, an untrue smile that was, at least to Kuroko's eyes. The blue-haired male responded the same way, ruining his empty, inexpressive face by a smile similar to that of Kise.

" That will more or less depend on you, I'm afraid."

" And may I ask why so?"

" Reading people's conveyance of impression is easy. Finding somebody who can give them away easily is sadly not."

" What kind of a person am I then, Kurokocchi? A difficult or an easy person to see through?"

" If I say you are not hard to read, will you let me do that?"

" What a shame! I have always hoped someone else would be able to see my true nature, without being distracted by my half-hearted act that is."

Kuroko had still not wiped his tense smile off his face and begun to lay back with comfort.

" Would you mind telling me who has already done that?"

As if he was replying offhand, a chuckle Kuroko heard emitted from the blond man, almost seemed dry, acrimonious and unable to fathom.

" The first person is of course, in front of your eyes."

"..."

" The second one and the last one, as far as I'm concerned, is...

He halted and eyed Kuroko carefully and he appeared to be pleased with what he caught sight of.

"...well, there is no need to say it if you've already figured it out."

To Kuroko's surprise, he stood up and walked out the door, right after asking him to send Momoi's an apology and to tell the others he was not hungry for dinner.

" Wait a minute, Kise-kun."

The hand that was pushing the door wide open stopped upon the words. Kuroko was so perplexed and so speechless, but somehow, he managed to force the words out of his mouth, just enough to express his opinion.

" Where does this conversation lead to?"

His face was not shown, just his back that reflected one thing that Kuroko could comprehend.

" I find there is also no need to answer this, that is if you want to reassure. But if you're stupid, then I wasted my time."

As he vacated the room with a small clack, Kuroko was left alone to contemplate and regard everything more severely. Angry, anxious, nervous he was, because all of the sudden, he just learnt how strong, how awfully strong of the effects Akashi had on them.

* * *

 _Half past nine in the evening._

" Excuse me, miss, we've arrived."

The taxi driver caught her off guard and pulled her back to reality. Feeling baffled, she looked outside and saw an empty night sky above and an empty but well-arranged café. She then remembered about the thing she needed to do and searched in her purse the money he demanded.

" Thank you, miss."

She got out of the car and despite having shown hesitation, she still walked in.

 _" Momoi?"_

 _He peered at the slim figure at the door to make sure it was really the one he was thinking of. He then adverted his attention to the clock across the room and was somewhat concerned when it showed 9 o'clock._

 _" It's getting late, where are you going?"_

 _She was actually jolted when his voice resonated in the air. She was hoping everyone would be in their room and not notice her leaving. Inhaling deeply, she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and turned to Kagami._

 _" Sorry, did I wake you up?"_

 _" No, but, where are y-?"_

 _" Kagamin."_

 _She cut him off and that took him completely by surprise._

 _" Would you please keep silent and not tell anyone that you see me?"_

 _His facade changed swiftly at that. He furrowed his brows after fully observed the situation happened in front of him._

 _" Where, no, who are you meeting?"_

" I'm sorry, Kagamin, for giving you a false answer."

Momoi thought out loud as her stomach tightened again due to guilt, worry and fear. Upon seeing a glimpse of her figure, a young staff agilely strode towards her.

" Are you Ms. Momoi?"

" Yes."

" Come this way, please."

She conscientiously directed Momoi to a very nice spot in the shop. It was the brightest, most prominent place with a water fountain by it and a gorgeous rose in bloom in a crystalline, see-through vase on the table. But none of that drew her attention besides the acquaintance who was rather happy to see her.

" Long time no see. How are you?"

He started a conversation with the same cliche words which she could not care less.

" Let's have a look at the menu, shall we? I'll just have some expresso. How about you?"

" Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not in the mood."

" Oh? Alright, then I won't have any as well. It's of the uttermost rudeness to have a drink when my guest has none, after all."

"Are you done beating about the bush? I'm getting tired."

" My apologies for that, Satsuki."

" So, would you mind telling me right now why did you call me out, Akashi-kun?"

 **End chapter 8.**


	9. Chapter 9

So sorry for the late update! This week was hectic!

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The spiral.**

" Why the change of mind?"

Akashi queried her the moment the slim waitress put down a cup of latte with a heart-shaped milk foam on top. The handle was small and barely wide enough for her two fingers to hold and take a sip from the cup. Deliberately, she disregarded him and left him with silence as a response.

" Well, if you are not in the mood of talking then,..."

He started to drag his sentence, but still, she looked down the table which she found was more enjoyable than holding a conversation with him. He grinned and loosely covered his smile with the palm of his hand.

" Satsuki... What would you do if I were to say I have poisoned your drink?"

The words slipped out so easily and his face was deplorably calm. Whether it was a terrible joke or an unexpected warning, she could not figure out, since he was surely capable of such. A complacent smile appeared on his face as soon as she realised she was forced to look at him.

" Then I'll be as sick as a dog and might as well die. But..."

She reached her cup, held it far too gently that it seemed like it was about to fall off and took a swallow of coffee. And he just chuckled.

" Your hand is trembling."

She put the cup down and replied back with a very slight scowl and a queasy smile.

" Really?"

" Cut off your nose to spite your face? What are you trying to prove? That I cannot control you?"

She chose to stay mum, knowing that to that man, fathoming her response was child's play.

"After all those years, you haven't given up the idea of denying the impossible? Is that plain stupid? Or is it pitiful ignorance?"

Under the table, she clenched her fist while on the surface, her expression hid her real frustration of being overpowered and intimidated by him.

" Non-None of that."

She jerked her head up, feeling deeply angry with herself for that uncontrollable quavering voice. But the emotion was not even on par with the hatred she was harbouring against Akashi and his conceit. The more conceited he was, the more desperately she desired to triumph over him. She gathered her brows and stared intensely at his vibrant red eyes. Even to this day, they still seemed so mesmerising. But was it due to their luminosity, or was it because of the coldness and the glacial indifference that came across clearly?

" Eventually, you will know the taste of defeat."

" Is that why you chose to follow Tetsuya and Shintarou?"

" Yes."

" Even though you don't have any faith in them?"

A change occurred in her countenance as he made the remark. But then it soon returned to its more dreary, expressionless one that seven years ago, was something that people around her always experienced.

" Do you honestly reckon I'll ever trust them?"

Akashi could not manage to hold his burst of laughters in any longer.

* * *

 _8 o'clock in the morning_

From the position right at the door, Kuroko had a full view of the dining room which was the largest room of the place. It became somewhat bigger in his mind as the only thing he could hear at the moment was the clack of the plates as Momoi took them out from the cupboard. It was beyond belief that there were, himself included, seven people present.

" Good morning."

He felt awkward just saying the simple greeting. Then again, after the truth about Akashi, or at least a part of it, had been told by Midorima, a change for a worse was to be expected. Therefore, this level of discomfort was still tolerable.

" Have a sit, Kuroko."

Midorima was also well aware of the current state of affairs which, for unknown reasons, was more tense than the day before. The blue-haired man sat next to Midorima, at the table wide enough for more or less ten people. He looked up and intended to greet, but discarded the idea right away when Kise was staring fixedly at his MP3 with the loud music he could partly hear. Beside him, Aomine was tapping the surface of the table lightly with his index and ring fingers. As Kuroko and he made an eye contact, he moved his head upwards, indicating a casual hello to Kuroko.

" What're we having?"

The question did not necessarily direct to anyone, but Midorima answered anyway:

" Apparently, Kagami and Takao are cooking steak and frites."

" A Western dish, I see."

And that broke into a conversation about Japanese and Western cuisine between the two. In the midst of their chat, Momoi approached them.

" What is it?"

Midorima, without delay, questioned her and in contrast to what she normally reacted, she was not fazed.

" I'm sorry, but I cannot join you for breakfast."

" Is there something wrong?"

" No. There's just a few matter concerning my workplace."

That seemed to leave Midorima pondering. But soon, he nodded and she quickly vacated the room. Kuroko gazed at the figure until he could see no more and leaned a bit towards the green-haired male.

" Don't you think she seems strange today?"

However, Midorima turned a deaf ear to that and all of the sudden, stood up from his seat.

" My apologies, but I have other things to attend, so I'm afraid I will skip breakfast."

He said and left, the same way Momoi did. Kagami started to complain about how Takao and he had prepared enough portions and suddenly, two had decided not to eat. Kuroko and Takao had to comfort him and later on, they all had a meal in silence.

All of them chose this path which was to follow Kuroko and Midorima because they assumed it was the only way to partake in a new game and to defeat Akashi in it. However, they were mistaken. Because there was not any new game, for the old one was not finished yet.

 **End chapter 9.**

 **End part 2.**


	10. Chapter 10

Yes, it has been three weeks and I am so sorry for my irresponsibility. I cannot really justify myself, but here it is, part 3. Before reading, it is important to know that there are new characters and this chapter will be about Akashi. That is all.

* * *

 **Part 3: The preparations and the operation.**

 **Chapter 10: Demented.**

"...and on Tuesday, after meeting the representative of the MK light industry, you are having an appointment with..."

In spite of the secretary's great effort in informing her paymaster his schedule for that week, her words completely fell on deaf ears since he was too busy reading the book he had grown fond of. His upright posture became less stiff as every page he turned, his interest was rapidly added. He happened to read this book at an old book shop near the park where he usually took a walk at. It never occurred to him how long the said shop was there, but the one book he bought a month before at the place was simply remarkable.

 _Intense, terrifying and intimidating, a man in his thirties who was always fascinated by the wild lifestyle he had when he was on the street. Driven by the desperate desire to continue that way of living and to escape the depressing reality, he began to be misled and overcome by the inherent subjectivity in his being. The morality and wickedness fought one another so hard for the dominant principle as he explored things that seemingly appeared unobtainable. Yet, he was still dissatisfied._

He was so absorbed in the novel that he jerked his head up when the woman uttered his name so defensively so as not to upset him, which unfortunately, she happened to. He turned his gaze away from the passage he took great interest in to the small, slightly pale, perhaps resulted from apprehension, face of the young female.

" What is it?"

His strangely unruffled tone in spite of the interruption was so fearful the poor woman seemed to jump out of her skin.

"We've reached your residence."

Upon hearing so, he glanced outside and quietly agreed to what she just said when he caught sight of the incredibly large mansion. The three-storied house was painted a porcelain-liked white as the primary colour while the reddish brown tile roof and other small details completed the style. The car drove through the wide open gate parked in front of the house. He heaved a barely audible groan and stepped out of the car with the chauffeur opening the door for him. He stood forward the double entrance doors and without saying anything, the secretary got the message and pressed the doorbell on the left. Instantaneously, the entrance was opened, immediately revealed a room as different as chalk and cheese to that of the somewhat modesty of the outward look the mansion offered. High ceiling and with a crystal chandelier, as impressive as it could be, with its five layers of transparency, became narrower at the end, the room transcended any average living room. Across the white wall, several paintings, mostly featured abstraction, which he purchased at his favourite gallery, were placed unevenly, yet still maintained the aestheticism required. In front of the fireplace situated a set of a wooden sofa and two armchairs with red, soft matress and cushions, seemingly comfortable and inviting. Not to mention the massive bookshelf at the corner of the room, made up of fiction and mystery novels. To put it in a nutshell, this suburban mansion was splendid.

" Welcome back, Akashi-sama."

Akashi took a step forward and received a greeting from a tall, black-haired male who was standing next to him. As Akashi turned to look at him, they made an eye contact and suddenly, he lowered his head and came his remarkably calm voice:

" My apologies for the delay. I was quite certain that you would not return home until half past nine, which is more or less one hour from now."

His pretext was proved to be fair when the red-haired man approved of his giving a lackadaisical excuse by lightly nodding.

" I merely finished my work slightly earlier than usual."

A maid started to take out his coat while the other one silently brought his briefcase to his bedroom. When they, the secretary included, were out of sight, leaving the two men alone in the room, they then moved away from their current position and each sat down on an armchair. Akashi was the first one to break the silence:

" I assume you have the result I anticipate, don't you? Third?"

The reply, however, took a brief moment to come out of his mouth:

" Much as I dislike to give you bad news, I know I need to inform you about the result-"

" Cut to the chase, would you?"

" There is none, I'm afraid."

Before he even answered, Akashi had already exhaled deeply. Third, distinctively held his tongue for he did not want to fan the flame. Having been unable to accomplish the task, it was unquestionable why one should start to feel a growing sense of anxiety. He stared forwards at the figure who seemed to ponder something he could not know. All of the sudden, those red eyes widened a little, as the complacent expression he just had meant something.

" Why don't we change the rule, then?"

* * *

" 1, 2, 3... Greetings!"

The deafening sound came from the speaker woke them up from the deep slumbers abruptly. All of the men who had been imprisoned for months were gathered in a massive room with only one door that was made of steel and was locked from the outside. Four cameras, each was on the top corner of the room. Fans or air conditioners were nowhere to be seen, just the excruciating heat was present. Accompanied by a horrible headache, each man got up from the cold floor and after a while of observing their surroundings quite carefully, confusion was on their face as they saw one another.

" Where the hell are we?"

A person spoke up. He was just as perplexed as any of them, seeing the unknown people, unknown room and a number tattooed on their right arm.

"No.33 to 70, I hope you have all had a good sleep, because we'd like you to do a small test."

Third halted. He looked over the prosperous man sat elegantly on the chair while reading his novel.

"Akashi-sama, are you sure?"

Without adverting his eyes from the pages, a 'yes' was uttered. Third gulped in fear and prudently continued to question his decision:

"Even though the last group had no survivor? What if this group too-?"

" It doesn't matter. I could have easily sent them to hell, but here I am, giving them a second chance to prove their competence. Shouldn't they thank me?"

The man was glad he did not see Akashi's eyes. Because just his words had already made his blood run cold. But something inside Third still prevented him from following his savage orders. He hesiated.

" Third!"

"...!"

" To have worked for me since six years ago, I believe you understand that I hate repeating myself."

Yet, like any other human beings, his coward self still exists. He nodded, turned and looked at the monitors, contemplated the faces that he might not be able to see again and moved his head closer to the microphone.

" Right now, in your room, there are 43 people. We want you to reduce that number down to just one...by any means... If you don't comply..."

Everyone jolted and looked down, just to see water, rose near to their ankle.

"...in the next hour, none of you shall pass this test."

 **End chapter 10.**


	11. Chapter 11

I really do not have anything to say besides I am sorry, for neglecting my work and responsibility and most importantly, disregarding you guys. The last time I uploaded was on 20/11/2015 and now, it is July 2016, so eight months I left you waiting and perhaps upsetting many of you. I do not know what happened, I just failed to write something decent and sort of gave up. But the inspiration came back, so I will keep writing and satisfying you guys. Thank you.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Insurance.**

_'s POV

I have never known what fears are capable of.

I remember waking up in the morning by the annoying birds and honks. It got even more annoying when my mother hurried me into going to school, as if she did not know full well that I was going to carry on the family business anyway. Bothersome things that I was compelled to do, noisy classmates, noisy teachers,… Never have I realised that I would miss them so much.

When did everything collapse?

Perhaps…when a child like myself back then witnessed death for the first time. It happened so fast, it was almost unreal. However; my mother lying stock-still on the ground in the same way in the horror film my sneaky cousin showed me was the ultimate reality that she was no longer alive. She was deceased.

The pain did not ask to be felt. It rushed in without its owner's permission. It took over one's heart, then one's ability to breathe properly. And all of the sudden, it was too much to bear. The haunting crimson, as if plastered the picture, painted my heart and mind with fear.

I fainted.

Three days after the incident, I woke up. The blurred image of the ceiling appeared, making me realise I was not home. Empty mind and numb feet, I was quite a mess.

"Are you feeling better now?" asked the man beside me who hardly slept a wink.

"Dad, where am I?"

"The hospital. You've been asleep for three days now."

"Really?"

My eyes then looked around, searching for something or someone that was no longer existed.

"Where's mom?"

The very question was blurted out. The memory hit my thoughtless mind, like ceaseless bouts of crashing waves. My heart raced, sweats poured out almost too fast and drenched my eyeballs. Feeling like my whole stomach was dying to be pulled out and dirtied the floor, my body probably was robbed of its bones and went motionless. Invisible flames burnt my flesh and left me with hot shivers. The smell of rubbing alcohol penetrated my nostrils and the sound of my father calling the doctors was so ear-splitting.

A panic attack.

Two hours later, I regained consciousness, but the person I needed the most was nowhere to be found. The fear came back. And I did not know what to do.

* * *

To the best of my recollection, I did not drink it-the glass of water they gave me last night. It was not because they providing us with fresh water was suspicious enough, but because the worried look and the shaky hand of the guard gave it away. Therefore; I was aware that they were plotting something when they took me somewhere in the middle of the night. They shoved something in my back pocket, put me into a room-not too far from my cell, with some other prisoners. I shut my eyes and lay motionlessly on the floor for about one hour until a handful of the people in the room have started to awake from a deep sleep.

"Right now, in your room, there are 43 people. We want you to reduce that number down to just one...by any means... If you don't comply..."

"...in the next hour, none of you shall pass this test."

"One hour is not long." I initially thought.

"One more thing, one of you, who is the lucky one, will find a knife, use it wisely. That is all. You know what to do."

Within milliseconds, everyone turned ghost-white pale and screams deafened me, I realised the given time was actually more than enough.

"LET US OUT! NOW!"

Many of them ran to the door and screeched in panic. Fools. Better save your energy. It is Akashi we are talking about.

In the heat and dry air of the room, the stench became our company. Reality, one more time, displayed in front of me, made me question my very being. Too fast. Killing someone is such a fast and easy task, so much that one can be bored with it. I crawled to a corpse and lay next to it, pretending to be dead.

Roughly twenty minutes passed. The water had risen near my hips, so I had no choice but to stand up. They had not noticed me yet. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a certain person. He had not been attacked and he himself had not made a strike yet. I laughed a bit at his posture: shaky and not still. He would not be able to catch a bunny, let alone killing someone. Fright became more and more visible on his face as the number of bodies proliferated. Ironically, it is people like him that are more likely to pass the test. The man mentioned nothing about slaughtering to pass the test. The actual question was:"Escape the room in one hour and leave only one person left." He never said anything about only one person can pass the test. The water and the knife were just decoys. With the speed of the water going, it would not even go near to fill the room full and drown us, but I guess just killing each other is much easier than spending a minute to think.

At first, I expected a river of blood, but then again, they did not have any knife, so the most convenient choice was either strangling or drowning. While closing my eyes, I heard their desperate screams and cries, the animals inside of them appeared. What a bad taste, that Akashi. I wondered if I had told them to calm down and try to figure the way out, would they have listened to me?

The water rose almost to the top, maybe ten inches away. And I heard no more voices, besides the two who were still struggling. I recognised them; they were my cellmates. I rarely talked to them and the only thing I remembered about them was that they are brothers. They squeezed one another's neck while their face were full of tears. Gradually, one began to lose his conscious and drift away. The younger one died. I then stared at the other one.

Isn't that your motive? To avoid death? You have succeeded, so why are you still crying? I do not understand it. When you are in danger, the only thing occurs in your mind is how to survive, isn't it? Doesn't that prove how much your so-called love for your sibling means? All I see is how cheap it is. Because right now, you are not even aware of me, who is holding his breath and swimming below you.

I rose to the top, right behind him. I grabbed his neck and jabbed him with the cold, steel knife. I felt the strong resistance became looser and lifeless in seconds. I had just killed someone, again. My eyes became fixated on my bloody hands.

Should I have felt disgusted with myself and mournful for the dead?

The water level lowered drastically and eventually, I could see all of the corpses on the ground, the same ground I was standing on. The entrance door opened and he walked in, Akashi Seijuuro. He was alone, wearing a suit and apparently had no weapon to defense himself. I did have a knife, though. One last time, I looked around and gazed at the deceased ones, inhaled the very distinct smell of the dead.

"Congratulations, out of the 42 participants, you've passed, No. 34."

"...Was there any reason to do all of this?"

The question sounded too naive, in my opinion.

"Well, I am in need of a few people to work for me, so 'all of this' was to find a worthy person of such."

"And it is supposed to be me?"

"Certainly."

"What do I gain from that, then?"

"Whatever you want."

"I don't want anything. What about that?"

I did have my knife. I could have easily killed him and avenged those who had to suffer for his own pleasure.

"Really." Akashi smiled."What about an insurance?"

"..."

"An insurance that can guarantee your safety and makes sure you will never get caught for any of your wrongdoing."

"Is there such a thing?"

"I will gladly spend my life on making that happen... Will you accept my offer, No.34?"

I had a knife. I could kill him. I could avenge for all of them.

"Yes."

But in the end, why should I?

 **End chapter 11.**

* * *

Yay! It's finished! Sorry if this chapter was not as exciting or worth reading as the other ones. But it does have something quite special!

As you can see, I have not revealed who this character in KnB is or what he truly wants (what he wants to use the insurance for), because I want to make a game out of it!

Please comment or private message me what your guess is and if you are correct, I will:

* Write a oneshot with your suggestion in it and of course, I will include your name in the credits.

* Give you an insight of the story/ Answer any questions you have for this story because it will be a bit long.

* You can write a quote to put in the story.

I am not making light of my story, but because I can make sure it does not affect my story. And if you are just in this to have a guess and cannot care less about these so-called prizes, OK, I understand :(


End file.
